Microbial production of 1,2-propanediol from sugar

ABSTRACT

Microorganisms which ferment common sugars into 1,2-propanediol, synthetic operons to effect the transformation, and methods to produce 1,2-propanediol by fermentation of common sugars using the transformed microorganisms are disclosed.

This invention was made with United States government support awarded by the following agencies: Environmental Protection Agency, Grant No. 900713Z3; National Institutes of Health, Grant No. GM08349. The United States government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is drawn to microorganisms and their use in the production of 1,2-propanediol via microbial fermentation of common sugars. More specifically, the present invention is drawn to recombinant microorganisms having reductive enzyme activity or activities which enable the recombinant microorganism to ferment common sugars to 1,2-propanediol.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Complete bibliographic citations to the references mentioned below are included in the Bibliography section, immediately preceding the claims. Each of the references mentioned below is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

1,2-Propanediol (1,2-PD; also known as propylene glycol) is a major commodity chemical with an annual production greater than one billion pounds in the United States. The major utilization of 1,2-PD is in unsaturated polyester resins, liquid laundry detergents, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, antifreeze and de-icing formulations.

1,2-PD is conventionally produced from petrochemicals. Unfortunately, several toxic chemicals, such as chlorine, propylene oxide, and propylene chlorohydrin are either required or are produced as by-products in the conventional synthesis. In the conventional route, 1,2-PD is produced by the hydration of propylene oxide, which is obtained from propylene. The synthetic process produces racemic 1,2-PD, an equimolar mixture of the two enantiomers. This chemical process has a number of disadvantages, including the use of large quantities of water to minimize the production of polyglycols. The major problem, however, with the conventional synthetic route to 1,2-PD arises in the production of its intermediate, propylene oxide.

Propylene oxide is manufactured by one of two standard commercial processes: the chlorohydrin process or the hydroperoxide process. The chlorohydrin process involves toxic chlorinated intermediates and the use of caustic or lime. Additionally, this process may result in air emissions of propylene chlorohydrin and chlorine. (Franklin Associates, Ltd. (1994).) The hydroperoxide process involves oxidation of propylene by an organic hydroperoxide and results in the stoichiometric co-production of either tertbutanol or 1-phenyl ethanol. This make the economics of the production of propylene oxide via the hydroperoxide route directly related to the market for the co-produced byproducts. (Gait (1973).)

It is known that 1,2-PD is produced by several organisms when grown on exotic sugars. As early as 1937, the fermentation of L-rhamnose to 1,2-PD (later shown to be the S enantiomer) was described by Kluyver and Schnellen (1937). In E. coli and a variety of other microorganisms, L-rhamnose and L-fucose are metabolized to L-lactaldehyde and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. (Sawada and Takagi (1964) and Ghalambor and Heath (1962), respectively.) Under aerobic conditions, L-lactaldehyde is oxidized in two steps to pyruvate (Sridhara and Wu (1969)). Under anaerobic conditions, however, L-lactaldehyde is reduced to S-1,2-PD by a nicotinamide adenine nucleotide (NAD)-linked 1,2-propanediol oxidoreductase (EC 1.1.1.77). The S-1,2-PD produced diffuses into the extra-cellular medium.

Although a variety of microorganisms, including E. coli, produce S-1,2-PD from 6-deoxyhexose sugars, Obradors et al. (1988), this route is not commercially feasible because these sugars are extremely expensive. The least expensive of these 6-deoxyhexose sugars, L-rhamnose, currently sells for approximately $325 per kilogram (Pfanstiehl Laboratories, Chicago, Ill.).

In the mid-1980's, organisms capable of fermenting common sugars, such as glucose and xylose, to R-1,2-PD were discovered. See, for instance, Tran-Din and Gottschalk (1985). Clostridium sphenoides produces R-1,2-PD via a methylglyoxal intermediate. In this pathway, dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) is converted to methylglyoxal (MG) by the action of methylglyoxal synthase. The MG is reduced stereospecifically to give D-lactaldehyde. The D-lactaldehyde is then further reduced to give R-1,2-PD. The commercial production of 1,2-PD by C. sphenoides is severely limited, however, by the fact it is only produced under phosphate limitation; it is both difficult and expensive to obtain commercial-grade medium components which are free of phosphate. Additionally, only low titers of 1,2-PD are achieved.

Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum HG-8 (formerly Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum, ATCC 31960) also produces R-1,2-PD via methylglyoxal. Cameron and Cooney (1986). As with C. sphenoides, DHAP is converted to MG. The MG is then reduced at the aldehyde group to yield acetol. The acetol is then further reduced at the ketone group to give R-1,2-PD. For both C. sphenoides and T. thermosaccharolyticum HG-8, the enzymes responsible for the production of 1,2-PD have not been identified or cloned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a method of producing 1,2-propanediol by fermentation of sugars. The method comprises culturing a microorganism which expresses one or more enzymes which catalyze production of 1,2-propanediol from intracellular methylglyoxal in a medium containing a sugar carbon source other than a 6-deoxyhexose sugar, whereby the sugar carbon source is metabolized into 1,2-propanediol. Preferably, the method utilizes a recombinant organism containing one or more recombinant genes whose encoded gene products catalyze the reduction of methylglyoxal to 1,2-propanediol.

More specifically, the invention is directed to a method of producing 1,2-propanediol by fermentation with recombinant E. coli or yeast which comprises culturing a recombinant E. coli or yeast in a medium containing a sugar carbon source selected from the group consisting of arabinose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, xylose, and combinations thereof. The recombinant E. coli or yeast includes one or more recombinant genes which encode enzymes selected from the group consisting of aldose reductase, glycerol dehydrogenase, or combinations thereof.

The invention is also drawn to a synthetic operon which enables the production of 1,2-propandiol in a microorganism transformed to contain the operon. The operon includes one or more genes whose encoded gene products catalyze the reduction of methylglyoxal to 1,2-PD and a promoter sequence operationally linked to the one or more genes.

In a preferred embodiment, the synthetic operon includes at least one promoter sequence, a gene selected from the group consisting of an aldose reductase gene, a glycerol dehydrogenase gene, and combinations thereof; and a gene selected from the group consisting of a methylglyoxal synthase gene, a pyridine nucleotide transferase gene, and combinations thereof, wherein the genes are operationally linked to the promoter.

The invention is also drawn to E. coli transformed to contain the synthetic operon.

In short, the present invention is drawn to the use of microorganisms, preferably recombinant E. coli or S. cerevisiae, which express reductive enzyme activity which enables them to produce 1,2-PD, presumably via a reductive pathway leading from methylglyoxal to acetol (or lactaldehyde) to 1,2-PD.

If a recombinant microorganism is utilized, the gene sequences encoding the reductive enzyme activity may reside on plasmids within the microorganism, or the gene sequences may be integrated into the chromosome. It is preferred that the recombinant gene sequences be integrated into the genome of the microorganism.

The invention utilizes microorganisms which express enzymes which enable the production of 1,2-PD from the fermentation of common sugars. As used herein, the term "common sugars" refers to readily available sugars including, but not limited to, arabinose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, and xylose. Specifically excluded from the term "common sugars" are 6-deoxyhexose sugars such as rhamnose and fucose.

While not being limited to a particular cellular mode of action, it is thought that by properly manipulating enzyme activity, intracellular MG is enzymatically reduced to yield 1,2-PD, which is then secreted into the extracellular environment.

The production of MG in the host microorganism can also be simultaneously increased, thereby increasing the production of 1,2-PD. Methylglyoxal production can be maximized by fermenting under phosphate limitation or with the addition of cAMP, as well as by several other methods known to the art. Additionally, selection of suitable host cells, such as methylglyoxal over-producing host cells or mutants which steer metabolism toward the production of 1,2-PD rather than other metabolites, can be utilized.

The invention is also drawn to a synthetic operons for transforming a host cell. When incorporated into a host cell, the operon directs the transformed host to produce enzyme activity which converts MG to 1,2-PD and may optionally include genetic elements to increase MG production or to increase the reducing power of the cell. Preferably, the operon includes one or more genes which encode enzymes necessary for expression of aldose reductase activity or glycerol dehydrogenase activity and one or more genes for increased production of MG in the host cell. The operon further includes upstream and/or downstream regulatory elements to control the expression of the gene products(s).

The synthetic operon sequence can be incorporated into any number of suitable and well-characterized plasmid vectors for incorporation into prokaryotic or eukaryotic host cells.

A major advantage of the present invention is that microbial fermentation provides a clean and "environmentally friendly" synthetic route to 1,2-PD. The microbial process uses as a substrate a renewable sugar such as glucose or xylose (found in agricultural crops) or lactose (found in dairy industry wastes). Suitable sugars are also produced in commodity amounts from corn and sugar cane and from lignocellulosic biomass.

Also, the microbial process produces no toxic wastes. The byproducts of fermentation are carbon dioxide, alcohols, and organic acids, all of which can be purified as valuable co-products or used as animal feed.

Another distinct advantage of the invention is that it provides a unique route to 1,2-PD from common sugars, a cheap, renewable, and readily available resource.

A further advantage of the present invention is that microbial processes are straightforward to operate and do not involve high temperatures and pressures. Large fermentation facilities such as those used for the production of ethanol can be readily adapted to the production of 1,2-PD.

Another advantage of the invention is that while MG is toxic to cells, by promoting overexpression of recombinant reductase activities, the recombinant cells remain viable and vigorous under conditions that promote MG production. In other words, any potentially toxic excess of MG produced in the recombinant host cell is rapidly converted to 1,2-PD by the recombinant reductase activity (or activities). The 1,2-PD formed is then exported from the cell.

The maximum theoretical yield of 1,2-PD from sugars is favorable: up to 1.5 moles 1,2-PD per mole sugar. And, unlike n-butanol, 1,2-PD itself has very low toxicity to microorganisms. This allows for good cellular growth and viability at high final product titers. Cellular growth at 100 g/L 1,2-PD has been obtained.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the metabolic production of 1,2-PD according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred repressible transformation vector for use in the present invention, pSE380.

FIG. 3 is an HPLC elution profile of media from recombinant E. coli strain AG1 cells which express exogenous aldose reductase activity showing production of 1,2-PD.

FIG. 4 is an HPLC elution profile of a 1,2-PD standard.

FIG. 5 is an HPLC elution profile of media from wild-type E. coli showing no production of 1,2-PD.

FIG. 6 is a graph depicting inducible production of 1,2-PD from recombinant E. coli containing an operon for the production and regulation of aldose reductase according to the present invention. Aldose reductase production was induced by the addition of IPTG to the culture medium.

FIG. 7 is a graph depicting the inhibition of cell growth due to the presence of 1,2-PD and 1,3-PD. As shown in the graph, 1,2-PD does not result in complete inhibition of cell growth until the amount added to the culture media is approximately 120 g/L.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Overview

An abbreviated schematic diagram of standard sugar metabolism, as well as the pathway for 1,2-PD production according to the present invention, are shown in FIG. 1. In non-transformed E. coli, sugars are converted to dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (G-3-P) by glycolytic enzymes common to most organisms. The G-3-P is converted to metabolic byproducts such as ethanol, acetate, and succinate, and is also used for further metabolism.

DHAP is the initial intermediate in the 1,2-PD pathway. DHAP is converted to MG by methylglyoxal synthase. In non-transformed cells, the MG is metabolized to D-lactate as indicated in FIG. 1.

E. coli does not make 1,2-PD from sugars that are readily available. By manipulating various metabolic pathways leading both to and from MG, a microorganism can be made to produce 1,2-PD. While not being limited to any particular mode of action, it is thought that this reductive conversion takes place in two steps: 1) reduction of MG to acetol or lactaldehyde: and 2) reduction of acetol or lactaldehyde to 1,2-PD. Both reductions can be accomplished by a single enzyme activity or a combination of enzyme activities.

The crux of the invention, therefore, is a method to produce 1,2-PD using microorganisms which express enzyme activities whereby the microorganisms convert MG into 1,2-PD. The 1,2-PD so formed may then be harvested from the cell media. The microorganisms can be genetically altered organisms, including mutants or other recombinant strains.

The first step of the process is to identify and/or obtain the DNA sequences which encode the desired enzymes and insert or over-express them in the microorganism. This can be accomplished by any means known to the art.

For recombinant microorganisms, the preferred enzymes for the production of 1,2-PD are aldose reductase, glycerol dehydrogenase, or both. The preferred form of the aldose reductase gene is rat lens aldose reductase. The preferred form of the glycerol dehydrogenase gene is E. coli glycerol dehydrogenase. (In wild-type E. coli, glycerol dehydrogenase is regulated to prevent its catalyzing the conversion of MG to 1,2-PD.)

It must be noted, however, that because the aldose reductase sequence is highly conserved, the source of the aldose reductase gene is not critical to the present invention. (See, for instance, Sato et al. (1995) and Old et al. (1990)). Likewise, the source of the glycerol dehydrogenase gene is not critical to the success of the present invention, so long as the gene product displays the required reductive activity. The invention can be successfully practiced with any gene sequence whose expressed gene product provides reductive activity for the conversion of MG to 1,2-PD.

The rat lens aldose reductase gene has been cloned and sequenced and is available from the U.S. National Institutes of Health or can be obtained as described in Sato et al. and Old et al., supra. Other aldose reductase gene sequences are available from "GENBANK" and can be synthesized or sub-cloned using any of several well known methods. Likewise, genes for glycerol dehydrogenase activity are known ("GENBANK").

The gene which encodes the enzyme having the required activity is then incorporated into a suitable vector which is used to transform a suitable cellular host. The preferred vector is a plasmid vector. The preferred host is a bacterial host, most preferably E. coli, although yeast such as S. cerevisiae can be utilized with equal success.

Incorporation of the gene into a plasmid transformation or shuttle vector is accomplished by digesting the plasmid with suitable restriction endonucleases, followed by annealing the gene insert to the plasmid "sticky ends," and then ligating the construct with suitable ligation enzymes to re-circulize the plasmid. Each of these steps is well known to those skilled in the art and need not be described in detail here. (See, for instance, Sambrook, Fritsch, and Maniatis (1986), Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Ed., incorporated herein by reference for its teaching of vector construction and transformation.)

Once successfully transformed with the required gene(s), the recombinant microorganisms produce 1,2-PD from the fermentation of all common sugars, including arabinose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, and xylose. Additionally, it has been shown that fermentation conditions which increase the formation of MG result in increased titers of 1,2-PD.

For purposes of this invention, increased MG production in the host cell can be obtained using any method now known or developed in the future. In E. coli, methods to obtain increased MG production include, but are not limited to: culturing under low-phosphate (Ferguson et al. (1996)), culturing with cyclic AMP and pentoses such as xylose or arabinose (Ackerman et al. (1974)), increasing intracellular DHAP (e.g. by culturing a triose phosphate isomerase knockout mutant), increasing conversion of DHAP to MG (e.g. by over-expressing methylglyoxal synthase), and culturing under unregulated metabolism. (See, for instance, Freedberg et al. (1971) and Kadner et al. (1992).)

Similarly, by utilizing MG over-producing mutants as the host, or by over-expressing endogenous genes (or by introducing exogenous genes) which promote the production of MG, production of 1,2-PD from the transformed cells is maximized.

Careful selection of mutant hosts can also be used to increase the yield of 1,2-PD. E. coli mutants, such as AA200 (a triose phosphate isomerase knockout mutant, E. coli Genetic Stock Center, New Haven, Conn., U.S.A.), can be used as host cells to increase the intracellular levels of MG, thereby increasing 1,2-PD production. Similarly, glyoxalase knockout mutants can also be used as host cells, thereby increasing the intracellular level of MG for conversion to 1,2-PD Appropriate host selection (using other E. coli mutants) also allows the conditions under which 1,2-PD is produced to be varied, e.g., aerobic or anaerobic production, different sugars as a carbon source, etc. For example, when transformed to express exogenous aldose reductase, the E. coli strain AA200 noted above has been shown to convert many sugars, including galactose, lactose, and sucrose, into 1,2-PD under aerobic conditions. Analogous transformations can also be accomplished in other host organisms, such as yeast.

Isolation of the 1,2-PD formed from the cell medium can be accomplished by any means known in the separation art. The preferred method is to filter the culture medium to separate cells and cellular debris, and then to isolate the 1,2-PD from the medium by vacuum distillation. (See, for instance, Simon et al. (1987).) If so desired, the recombinant microorganisms may be completely lysed by any known means prior to isolation of the 1,2-PD.

E. coli Transformed with pKKARX

For purposes of brevity and clarity only, the following description is limited to a transformation construct containing an aldose reductase gene. The identical procedure can be followed to insert any gene sequence having the proper activity, Such as glycerol dehydrogenase, into a host to thereby enable or maximize the production of 1,2-PD. Other enzymes which promote production of 1,2-PD include: carbonyl reductase (E. coli 1.1.1.84), glycerol dehydrogenase (E. coli 1.1.1.6, E. coli 1.1.1.156), aldehyde reductase (E. coli 1.1.1.2), methylglyoxal reductase (also known as 2-oxoaldehyde reductase and lactaldehyde dehydrogenase, E. coli 1.1.1.78), L-glycol dehydrogenase (E. coli 1.1.1.185), alcohol dehydrogenase E. coli 1.1.1.1, E. coli 1.1.1.2), 1,2-PD dehydrogenase, (lactaldehyde reductase, E. coli 1.1.1.55), and 1,2-PD oxidoreductase, (lactaldehyde reductase, E. coli 1.1.1.77).

Any E. coli strain can be transformed to contain the aldose reductase insert described herein. The preferred strain is E. coli AG1 (F-, endA1, hsdR17, {kn⁻, mk⁺ } supE44, thi⁻ 1, recA1, gyrA96 relA1, λ⁻), available commercially from Stratagene Corporation (La Jolla, Calif.). This strain was used as the host strain for 1,2-PD production in the Examples described below unless otherwise noted. The AA200 and K10 strains were obtained from the E. coli Genetic Stock Center (New Haven, Conn.).

Similarly, any yeast strain can be transformed to contain the desired gene insert. S. cerevisiae, numerous strains of which are available from a host of commercial suppliers and the American Type Culture Collection, is preferred.

For transformation of bacteria, a plasmid vector containing the gene insert is preferred. Several suitable vectors are available commercially or can be obtained by methods well known to the art. A preferred expression vector is pKK233-2, available commercially from the Pharmacia Biotech (Piscataway, N.J.). The sequence of the pKK233-2 vector is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 1. Suitable restriction enzymes and T4 DNA ligase to manipulate the vector can be obtained from several international suppliers, including Promega Corporation, (Madison, Wis.) and New England Biolabs (Beverly, Mass.).

The nucleotide sequence of the preferred rat lens aldose reductase gene is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 3. The amino acid sequence of the encoded aldose reductase enzyme is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 4.

The aldose reductase gene is inserted into the pKK233-2 plasmid (SEQ. ID. NO: 1) following standard procedures. (This process is essentially identical to that described by Old et al. (1990).) The resulting construct is designated pKKARX. The starting pKK233-2 plasmid is designed for direct cloning of eukaryotic genes in E. coli. The plasmid contains the highly expressed trc promoter (17 base pair spacing between the trp-35 region and the lac UV5-10 region), the lacZ ribosome binding site, and an ATG initiation codon. To prevent unstable replication, the strong rrnB transcription terminator has been introduced downstream of the Multiple Cloning Site. Digestion with NcoI exposes the start codon for direct ligation and expression of foreign proteins. Eukaryotic gene fragments lacking a prokaryotic ribosome binding site and/or an ATG can be inserted in the correct reading frame by using one of several commercially available NcoI linkers. (Available, for instance, from Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, N.J.). The NcoI recognition sequence, CCATGG, commonly occurs at the initiation codon of eukaryotic genes, allowing direct ligation to the vector.

E. coli can then be transformed using the pKKARX construct. All transformations described herein were performed by the calcium chloride method using standard and well-known methodologies. While the calcium chloride method is preferred, transformation can be accomplished with equal success using any of several conventional procedures, such as electroporation and the like.

Once transformed with pKKARX, wild-type E. coli host cells produce 1,2-PD from arabinose, glucose, and xylose. Analysis for production of 1,2-PD is performed as described in Example 1, below.

E. coli Transformed with pSEARX

Another aspect of the invention is to transform the host with an insert which includes inducible or repressible genetic elements. This allows the production of 1,2-PD to be switched on or off by addition of a suitable inducer or repressor.

The preferred construct, designated pSEARX, is constructed by digesting pKKARX (described above) and a commercially-available vector designated pSE380 (Invitrogen, La Jolla, Calif.) with NcoI and EcoRI. The resulting fragments from NcoI and EcoRI digestion are then separated by agarose gel electrophoresis, and the aldose reductase gene and pSE380 vector purified using "GENECLEAN" (Bio 101 Inc., La Jolla, Calif.) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The two fragments are then ligated and transformed into AG1 using standard procedures (Sambrook et al., supra).

A schematic of the starting pSE380 plasmid is shown in FIG. 2. The pSE380 plasmid includes a strong trc promoter for high level transcription, as well as the lacO operator and lacI^(q) repressor gene (which allows transcriptional regulation in any E. coli strain). While the pSE380 starting plasmid is preferred, any construct containing an inducible or repressible promoter which can control the expression of gene sequences operationally linked to the promoter will function with equal success. In addition to the trc promoter, examples of well known promoters which can be utilized include lac, tac, and phoA. The nucleotide sequence of pSE380 is given in SEQ. ID. NO: 2.

Inducing a wild-type E. coli host transformed with pSEARX by adding IPTG to the media results in the production of 1,2-PD when the host is grown on arabinose, glucose, and xylose.

Mutant Host Selection to Maximize Utilizable Substrates and 1,2-PD Production

Increased flexibility when producing 1,2-PD from transformed E. coli or yeast is afforded by selection of a suitable mutant host. For instance, when transformed with either pKKARX or pSEARX as described above, triose phosphate isomerase knockout mutant bacteria, such as E. coli strain AA200, produce 1,2-PD when fermented with any combination of arabinose, galactose, glucose, lactose, sucrose, and xylose. Triose phosphate isomerase catalyzes the interconversion of DHAP to G-3-P. (See FIG. 1.) By utilizing a host mutant which lacks triose phosphate isomerase activity, the metabolic fate of DHAP is directed to the formation of MG, which is then converted by various reductive enzyme activities into 1,2-PD, thereby increasing 1,2-PD titers.

Likewise, 1,2-PD production can be maximized by utilizing other mutants lacking one or more enzymes which decrease intracellular pools of MG. For instance, the normal metabolic pathway to detoxify intracellular methylglyoxal utilizes glyoxalase I. Glyoxolase I catalyzes the conversion of MG to S-D-lactoylglutathione, which is subsequently converted to lactate by glyoxalase II. Consequently, when a host is transformed to express a recombinant enzyme having MG reducing activity, the MG-reducing enzyme competes with glyoxalase I for the available MG. By utilizing glyoxalase I knockout mutants, the intracellular pool of MG for conversion to 1,2-PD is increased, and the ultimate production of 1,2-PD is likewise increased.

Glyoxalase mutants can be constructed in E. coli, yeast, or any other suitable host, using standard techniques. Because several glyoxalase oligonucleotide sequences are known ("GENBANK"), the most straightforward route to obtain a glyoxalase mutant is to recombine a deletion into the chromosomal copy of the glyoxalase gene whereby glyoxalase activity is destroyed. An example of how this can be done is described in Koob et al. (1994).

Negative Controls

To provide a negative control for the pKKARX and pSEARX constructs, a plasmid designated pKKARX/PstI was constructed by digesting pKKARX with PstI and purifying the vector portion of the resulting digest. The vector was then self-ligated resulting in an approximately 1 kb deletion within the aldose reductase gene on the plasmid. AG1 cells transformed with pKKARX/Pst show no aldose reductase activity or 1,2-PD production.

Yeast Hosts

In an analogous fashion, yeast (as well as other cellular hosts) can be transformed to contain the aldose reductase gene (or any of the other genes listed above) and can be used to produce 1,2-PD by fermentation of common sugars.

In yeast, the aldose reductase gene is first inserted into an appropriate shuttle vector. In the preferred embodiment, an aldose reductase cassette is ligated into YpJ66 digested with EcoRI/KpnI, thus replacing the galK cassette with an aldose reductase cassette between EcoRI and KpnI. YpJ66 is constructed from YEp352, whose oligonucleotide sequence is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 5, and can be constructed according to the method of Hill et al. (1986). In short, this is accomplished by inserting the CUP1 promoter, (galK) and CYC1 terminator sequence into the XbaI site of Yep352.

Preferably, the vector is then transformed into YPH500 (ATCC 76626) (leu⁻, trp⁻, ura⁻, lys⁻, ade⁻, his⁻) by standard methods and fed the required amino acids for growth, except uracil, which is used as the marker to maintain the plasmid in yeast. In the same fashion as transformed E. coli, yeast transformed to contain the aldose reductase insert produce 1,2-PD in isolatable quantities when fermented on a wide variety of common sugars, including galactose, glucose, sucrose, fructose, and maltose.

Other genetically altered strains can produce 1,2-PD when cultured on other sugar carbon sources such as xylose and lactose.

Synthetic Operons for the Production of 1,2-PD

Ideally, three criteria should be maximized in order to maximize production of 1,2-PD. These three criteria are: increased production of MG, increased production of enzymes to convert MG to 1,2-PD, and increased production of enzymes such as pyridine nucleotide transferase to increase the reducing power within the cell (and thereby favor the reduction of MG to 1,2-PD). In this embodiment of the invention, a methylglyoxal synthase gene for increasing production of MG, and/or an aldose reductase or glycerol dehydrogenase gene for converting MG to 1,2-PD, and/or a pyridine nucleotide transferase gene for increasing the reductive power of the host cell are operationally linked, in any order, under the control of one or more promoters, to yield a synthetic operon which maximizes the production of 1,2-PD in host microorganisms transformed with the operon.

The methylglyoxal synthase gene has been cloned and expressed in E. coli and is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 6. The ATG initiation codon is underlined. (See also Percy and Harrison (1996)). Likewise, the pyridine nucleotide transferase gene, encoding subunits A and B, is also known and is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 7. The amino acid sequences of the encoded A and B subunits of pyridine nucleotide transferase are shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 8 and SEQ. ID. NO: 9, respectively. The glycerol dehydrogenase gene has also been identified; its oligonucleotide sequence is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 10. The glycerol dehydrogenase amino acid sequence is shown in SEQ. ID. NO: 11.

To construct the synthetic operon according to the present invention, SEQ. ID. NO: 3 (aldose reductase), SEQ. ID. NO: 6 (methylglyoxal synthase), SEQ. ID. NO: 7 (pyridine nucleotide transferase) and/or SEQ. ID. NO: 10 (glycerol dehydrogenase) are operatively linked together in a 5' to 3' orientation. The order of the genes is not critical to the functionality of the operon, so long as each gene is operationally linked to its neighbor in a 5' to 3' orientation.

The gene sequences are inserted into a suitable plasmid host which includes one or more promoter sequences such that the promoter is operationally linked to the gene sequences and can function to promote or repress transcription of the genes. Suitable promoter sequences include any number of well known and widely used promoters such as lac, trc, tac, and phoA. For instance, pSE380 contains the trc promoter. A very large number of suitable transformation vectors containing the above-listed promoters are commercially available from several international suppliers.

The gene insert containing the functional genes is constructed by standard and well known means. In short, the individual gene inserts are digested with an appropriate restriction enzyme to yield complimentary "sticky ends," which are then annealed to one another and ligated with T4 ligase. The gene construct is then again digested to yield appropriate complimentary ends to be operationally inserted into a plasmid vector containing the promoter sequences. Many commercial plasmids contain a Multiple Cloning Site which allows any number of different restriction enzymes to be utilized to effect insertion of the construct into the plasmid vector. The vector is then used to transform a suitable host, as described above.

When transformed with the synthetic operon as described herein, the recombinant microorganism produces 1,2-PD in isolatable quantities.

The synthetic operon need not contain any or all of the above-noted genes. At a minimum, at least one gene encoding an enzyme to effect the reduction of MG to 1,2-PD must be present, such as the aldose reductase gene or the glycerol dehydrogenase gene or some other gene or genes. In addition, either or both of the methylglyoxal synthase and pyridine nucleotide transferase genes may be present. Additionally, the genes need not all be under the control of a single promoter. For purposes of flexibility, each individual gene can be placed under the control of a separate promoter.

Additionally, an alternative to utilizing a triose phosphate isomerase knockout mutant host strain is to place the triose phosphate isomerase gene under the control of a promoter sequence. This enables transcription of the gene to be switched on or off, depending upon the conditions present. To effect insertion of promoter sequence in operational orientation to the triose phosphate isomerase gene, standard recombinant genetic techniques are utilized. (Again, see Sambrook, Fritsch, and Maniatis (1986), Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Ed.) The promoter of interest is placed into a suitable vector, preferably a plasmid vector, which contains appropriate cloning sequences to enable operational insertion of the promoter sequence into the genome of the host organism. Successful incorporation of the plasmid is determined via antibiotic resistance and/or testing for induction (or repression) of triose phosphate isomerase. Such method are well known to those skilled in the art.

EXAMPLES

The following Examples are included solely for illustrative purposes to provide a more complete understanding of the invention. The Examples do not limit the scope of the invention disclosed or claimed herein in any fashion.

Example 1

Chromatographic Analysis of Culture Broth

FIGS. 3 and 5 depict HPLC analyses of the culture broth of an E. coli strain AG1 transformed to express aldose reductase (using pKKARX) and a non-transformed culture of the same strain, respectively. FIG. 4 depicts an HPLC elution profile of a 1,2-PD standard solution. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, the fermentations were performed under standard anaerobic conditions using 5 g/L glucose as carbon source. Media samples were centrifuged and filtered before analysis.

To generate the plots shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, an organic acids column (Bio-Rad "HPX87H", Hercules, Calif.) was used to quantify 1,2-PD, ethanol, sugars, and organic acids under the following conditions: 50 μL sample size, pH 2 (H₂ SO₄); 0.5 mL/min flow rate, and 40° C. column temperature. Peaks were detected by a refractive index detector at 40° C.

The 1,2-PD peak from the organic acids column was further analyzed by injection onto a cation-exchange column (Waters "SUGAR-PAK II," Marlboro, Mass.). The 1,2-PD peak isolated from the fermentation broth elutes at exactly the same time as the 1,2-PD control. The secondary peak identifications were performed on the "SUGAR-PAK II" column under the following conditions: 50 μL sample size, Milli-Q water mobile phase; 0.5 mL/min flow rate; and 90° C. column temperature.

Additionally, analyses were performed in which the 1,2-PD peak from the organic acids column was collected and subjected to gas chromatographic (GC) analysis and mass spectrographic analysis. The GC peak co-eluted with the 1,2-PD standard. Mass spectrometry showed the same fragmentation patern as the 1,2-PD standard. The fact that the same peak co-eluted with a 1,2-PD standard on 3 different columns (HPLC organic acids column, HPLC sugars column, and GC), with different methods of separation, as well as its fragmentation in mass spectrography, its identification as 1,2-PD is quite certain.

Example 2

Production of 1,2-Propanediol from Various Common Sugars

In this Example, a triose phosphate isomerase mutant (tpi-), AA200, was transformed with pSEARX containing the gene for aldose reductase as described above. (This transformed cell line is designated AA200::pSEARX). The non-transformed AA200 mutant yields higher intracellular concentrations of methylglyoxal, the precursor to 1,2-PD, than the wild-type. (See Hopper and Cooper (1972).) When transformed with pSEARX, the AA200::pSEARX cell line produced 1,2-PD from arabinose, galactose, glucose, lactose, sucrose, and xylose. The yield of 1,2-PD from AA200::pSEARX fermented with various sugars was as follows:

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         SUGAR       TITER 1,2-PD, mg/L                                                 ______________________________________                                         Galactose   66                                                                   Glucose 71                                                                     Lactose 6                                                                      Sucrose 7                                                                      Xylose 49                                                                    ______________________________________                                    

Fermentation was performed using standard anaerobic fermentation procedures using 10 g/L of the appropriate sugar. The fermentation was allowed to proceed for 24 hours prior to analysis for 1,2-PD.

Example 3

Inducible Production of 1,2-PD

In this Example, the results of which are depicted in FIG. 6, E. coli strain AG1 was transformed as described herein with the pSEARX plasmid containing the aldose reductase gene. The transformed cells were then cultured under standard anaerobic conditions on 5 g/L glucose with increasing levels of the promoter IPTG. The X-axis of FIG. 6 gives the concentration of IPTG in millimolarity. The right-hand Y-axis (▪) reports the production of 1,2-PD in mg/L as a function of IPTG concentration. Likewise the left-hand Y-axis () reports the activity of aldose reductase in U/mg. As is clearly shown in FIG. 6, inducing the promoter leads to the production of 1,2-PD.

Example 4

Inhibition of Cell Growth by 1,2-PD

Here, an Experiment was performed to determine at what level the presence 1,2-PD and 1,3-PD begin to have an adverse effect on E. coli cell growth. Anaerobic batch cultivations of E. coli were carried out in 10 mL culture tubes. Nine different batch cultivations, covering a range between 0 and 120 g/L of 1,2-PD (◯) and and 1,3-propanediol (□) were carried out in triplicate. Using optical density measurements, the growth in each tube was monitored and the specific growth rate determined. The results are depicted in FIG. 7. The ratio μ/μ₀ has been plotted as a function of the concentration of 1,2-PD and 1,3-PD (I, g/L). The value of μ equals the specific growth rate determined for the corresponding concentration of 1,2 or 1,3-PD; the value of μ₀ equals the specific growth rate determined in the absence of any 1,2-PD or 1,3-PD. The error bars indicate the standard deviation between the triplicate experiments. As can be seen from FIG. 7, 1,2-PD does not cause complete inhibition of cell growth until a concentration of approximately 120 g/L is reached.

Example 5

Anaerobic Production of 1,2-PD Utilizing Recombinant Glycerol Dehydrogenase Gene

E. coli strain AG1 was transformed in standard fashion with pSE380 containing a gene for E. coli glycerol dehydrogenase. The plasmid, designated pNEA10, was constructed in standard fashion. The transformed cells were then cultured under strictly anaerobic conditions on 10 g/L glucose. The fermentation was allowed to proceed for 12 hours to allow cell growth prior to addition of IPTG. The fermentation was then allowed to proceed for an additional 24 hours prior to analysis for 1,2-PD. The results are shown in Table 2:

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                                  IPTG        1,2-PD Titer                                                                             Activity*                                         plasmid mM mg/L U/mg                                                         ______________________________________                                         pSE380†                                                                          0.0          0        0.10                                              pNEA10 0.0 100 0.48                                                            pNEA10 0.05 190 3.00                                                           pNBA10 0.10 220 2.70                                                           pNEA10 0.25 220 3.10                                                         ______________________________________                                          *measured using glycerol as a substrate                                        †control plasmid without glycerol dehydrogenase gene              

Example 6

Production of 1,2-PD by Host Containing Recombinant Glycerol Dehydrogenase Gene in Combination with Promoter

E. coli strain AG1 was transformed as described in Example 5. The transformed cells were then cultured on 15 g/L glucose under anaerobic conditions. Prior to the fermentation, the media was not purged of oxygen. IPTG was added at the start of the fermentation. The fermentation was allowed to proceed for 36 hours prior to analysis for 1,2-PD. The results are depicted in Table 3:

                  TABLE 3                                                          ______________________________________                                                  IPTG        1,2-PD Titer                                                                             Activity*                                         plasmid mM mg/L U/mg                                                         ______________________________________                                         pSE380†                                                                          0.0          0        0.10                                              pNEA10 0.0  30 2.31                                                            pNEA10 0.05 100 9.89                                                         ______________________________________                                          *measured using acetol as a substrate                                          †control plasmid without glycerol dehydrogenase gene              

    __________________________________________________________________________     #             SEQUENCE LISTING                                                    - -  - - (1) GENERAL INFORMATION:                                              - -    (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 11                                           - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:1:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 4593 base - #pairs                                                 (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: circular                                                - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Vector pK - #K232-2                                     - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:1:                                - - CCGGATCCTC TACGCCGGAC GCATCGTGGC CGGCATCACC GGCGCCACAG GT -             #GCCGTTGC     60                                                                  - - TGGCGCCTAT ATCGCCGACA TCACCGATGG GGAAGATCGG GCTCGCCACT TC -             #GGGCTCAT    120                                                                  - - GAGCGCTTGT TTCGGCGTGG GTATGGTGGC AGGCCCCGTG GCCGGGGGAC TG -             #TTGGGCGC    180                                                                  - - CATCTCCTTG CATGCACCAT TCCTTGCGGC GGCGGTGCTC AACGGCCTCA AC -             #CTACTACT    240                                                                  - - GGGCTGCTTC CTAATGCAGG AGTCGCATAA GGGAGAGCGT CGACCGATGC CC -             #TTGAGAGC    300                                                                  - - CTTCAACCCA GTCAGCTCCT TCCGGTGGGC GCGGGGCATG ACTATCGTCG CC -             #GCACTTAT    360                                                                  - - GACTGTCTTC TTTATCATGC AACTCGTAGG ACAGGTGCCG GCAGCGCTCT GG -             #GTCATTTT    420                                                                  - - CGGCGAGGAC CGCTTTCGCT GGAGCGCGAC GATGATCGGC CTGTCGCTTG CG -             #GTATTCGG    480                                                                  - - AATCTTGCAC GCCCTCGCTC AAGCCTTCGT CACTGGTCCC GCCACCAAAC GT -             #TTCGGCGA    540                                                                  - - GAAGCAGGCC ATTATCGCCG GCATGGCGGC CGACGCGCTG GGCTACGTCT TG -             #CTGGCGTT    600                                                                  - - CGCGACGCGA GGCTGGATGG CCTTCCCCAT TATGATTCTT CTCGCTTCCG GC -             #GGCATCGG    660                                                                  - - GATGCCCGCG TTGCAGGCCA TGCTGTCCAG GCAGGTAGAT GACGACCATC AG -             #GGACAGCT    720                                                                  - - TCAAGGATCG CTCGCGGCTC TTACCAGCCT AACTTCGATC ACTGGACCGC TG -             #ATCGTCAC    780                                                                  - - GGCGATTTAT GCCGCCTCGG CGAGCACATG GAACGGGTTG GCATGGATTG TA -             #GGCGCCGC    840                                                                  - - CCTATACCTT GTCTGCCTCC CCGCGTTGCG TCGCGGTGCA TGGAGCCGGG CC -             #ACCTCGAC    900                                                                  - - CTGAATGGAA GCCGGCGGCA CCTCGCTAAC GGATTCACCA CTCCAAGAAT TG -             #GAGCCAAT    960                                                                  - - CAATTCTTGC GGAGAACTGT GAATGCGCAA ACCAACCCTT GGCAGAACAT AT -             #CCATCGCG   1020                                                                  - - TCCGCCATCT CCAGCAGCCG CACGCGGCGC ATCTCGGGCA GCGTTGGGTC CT -             #GGCCACGG   1080                                                                  - - GTGCGCATGA TCGTGCTCCT GTCGTTGAGG ACCCGGCTAG GCTGGCGGGG TT -             #GCCTTACT   1140                                                                  - - GGTTAGCAGA ATGAATCACC GATACGCGAG CGAACGTGAA GCGACTGCTG CT -             #GCAAAACG   1200                                                                  - - TCTGCGACCT GAGCAACAAC ATGAATGGTC TTCGGTTTCC GTGTTTCGTA AA -             #GTCTGGAA   1260                                                                  - - ACGCGGAAGT CAGCGCCCTG CACCATTATG TTCCGGATCT GCATCGCAGG AT -             #GCTGCTGG   1320                                                                  - - CTACCCTGTG GAACACCTAC ATCTGTATTA ACGAAGCGCT GGCATTGACC CT -             #GAGTGATT   1380                                                                  - - TTTCTCTGGT CCCGCCGCAT CCATACCGCC AGTTGTTTAC CCTCACAACG TT -             #CCAGTAAC   1440                                                                  - - CGGGCATGTT CATCATCAGT AACCCGTATC GTGAGCATCC TCTCTCGTTT CA -             #TCGGTATC   1500                                                                  - - ATTACCCCCA TGAACAGAAA TTCCCCCTTA CACGGAGGCA TCAAGTGACC AA -             #ACAGGAAA   1560                                                                  - - AAACCGCCCT TAACATGGCC CGCTTTATCA GAAGCCAGAC ATTAACGCTT CT -             #GGAGAAAC   1620                                                                  - - TCAACGAGCT GGACGCGGAT GAACAGGCAG ACATCTGTGA ATCGCTTCAC GA -             #CCACGCTG   1680                                                                  - - ATGAGCTTTA CCGCAGCTGC CTCGCGCGTT TCGGTGATGA CGGTGAAAAC CT -             #CTGACACA   1740                                                                  - - TGCAGCTCCC GGAGACGGTC ACAGCTTGTC TGTAAGCGGA TGCCGGGAGC AG -             #ACAAGCCC   1800                                                                  - - GTCAGGGCGC GTCAGCGGGT GTTGGCGGGT GTCGGGGCGC AGCCATGACC CA -             #GTCACGTA   1860                                                                  - - GCGATAGCGG AGTGTATACT GGCTTAACTA TGCGGCATCA GAGCAGATTG TA -             #CTGAGAGT   1920                                                                  - - GCACCATATG CGGTGTGAAA TACCGCACAG ATGCGTAAGG AGAAAATACC GC -             #ATCAGGCG   1980                                                                  - - CTCTTCCGCT TCCTCGCTCA CTGACTCGCT GCGCTCGGTC GTTCGGCTGC GG -             #CGAGCGGT   2040                                                                  - - ATCAGCTCAC TCAAAGGCGG TAATACGGTT ATCCACAGAA TCAGGGGATA AC -             #GCAGGAAA   2100                                                                  - - GAACATGTGA GCAAAAGGCC AGCAAAAGGC CAGGAACCGT AAAAAGGCCG CG -             #TTGCTGGC   2160                                                                  - - GTTTTTCCAT AGGCTCCGCC CCCCTGACGA GCATCACAAA AATCGACGCT CA -             #AGTCAGAG   2220                                                                  - - GTGGCGAAAC CCGACAGGAC TATAAAGATA CCAGGCGTTT CCCCCTGGAA GC -             #TCCCTCGT   2280                                                                  - - GCGCTCTCCT GTTCCGACCC TGCCGCTTAC CGGATACCTG TCCGCCTTTC TC -             #CCTTCGGG   2340                                                                  - - AAGCGTGGCG CTTTCTCATA GCTCACGCTG TAGGTATCTC AGTTCGGTGT AG -             #GTCGTTCG   2400                                                                  - - CTCCAAGCTG GGCTGTGTGC ACGAACCCCC CGTTCAGCCC GACCGCTGCG CC -             #TTATCCGG   2460                                                                  - - TAACTATCGT CTTGAGTCCA ACCCGGTAAG ACACGACTTA TCGCCACTGG CA -             #GCAGCCAC   2520                                                                  - - TGGTAACAGG ATTAGCAGAG CGAGGTATGT AGGCGGTGCT ACAGAGTTCT TG -             #AAGTGGTG   2580                                                                  - - GCCTAACTAC GGCTACACTA GAAGGACAGT ATTTGGTATC TGCGCTCTGC TG -             #AAGCCAGT   2640                                                                  - - TACCTTCGGA AAAAGAGTTG GTAGCTCTTG ATCCGGCAAA CAAACCACCG CT -             #GGTAGCGG   2700                                                                  - - TGGTTTTTTT GTTTGCAAGC AGCAGATTAC GCGCAGAAAA AAAGGATCTC AA -             #GAAGATCC   2760                                                                  - - TTTGATCTTT TCTACGGGGT CTGACGCTCA GTGGAACGAA AACTCACGTT AA -             #GGGATTTT   2820                                                                  - - GGTCATGAGA TTATCAAAAA GGATCTTCAC CTAGATCCTT TTAAATTAAA AA -             #TGAAGTTT   2880                                                                  - - TAAATCAATC TAAAGTATAT ATGAGTAAAC TTGGTCTGAC AGTTACCAAT GC -             #TTAATCAG   2940                                                                  - - TGAGGCACCT ATCTCAGCGA TCTGTCTATT TCGTTCATCC ATAGTTGCCT GA -             #CTCCCCGT   3000                                                                  - - CGTGTAGATA ACTACGATAC GGGAGGGCTT ACCATCTGGC CCCAGTGCTG CA -             #ATGATACC   3060                                                                  - - GCGAGACCCA CGCTCACCGG CTCCAGATTT ATCAGCAATA AACCAGCCAG CC -             #GGAAGGGC   3120                                                                  - - CGAGCGCAGA AGTGGTCCTG CAACTTTATC CGCCTCCATC CAGTCTATTA AT -             #TGTTGCCG   3180                                                                  - - GGAAGCTAGA GTAAGTAGTT CGCCAGTTAA TAGTTTGCGC AACGTTGTTG CC -             #ATTGCTAC   3240                                                                  - - AGGCATCGTG GTGTCACGCT CGTCGTTTGG TATGGCTTCA TTCAGCTCCG GT -             #TCCCAACG   3300                                                                  - - ATCAAGGCGA GTTACATGAT CCCCCATGTT GTGCAAAAAA GCGGTTAGCT CC -             #TTCGGTCC   3360                                                                  - - TCCGATCGTT GTCAGAAGTA AGTTGGCCGC AGTGTTATCA CTCATGGTTA TG -             #GCAGCACT   3420                                                                  - - GCATAATTCT CTTACTGTCA TGCCATCCGT AAGATGCTTT TCTGTGACTG GT -             #GAGTACTC   3480                                                                  - - AACCAAGTCA TTCTGAGAAT AGTGTATGCG GCGACCGAGT TGCTCTTGCC CG -             #GCGTCAAC   3540                                                                  - - ACGGGATAAT ACCGCGCCAC ATAGCAGAAC TTTAAAAGTG CTCATCATTG GA -             #AAACGTTC   3600                                                                  - - TTCGGGGCGA AAACTCTCAA GGATCTTACC GCTGTTGAGA TCCAGTTCGA TG -             #TAACCCAC   3660                                                                  - - TCGTGCACCC AACTGATCTT CAGCATCTTT TACTTTCACC AGCGTTTCTG GG -             #TGAGCAAA   3720                                                                  - - AACAGGAAGG CAAAATGCCG CAAAAAAGGG AATAAGGGCG ACACGGAAAT GT -             #TGAATACT   3780                                                                  - - CATACTCTTC CTTTTTCAAT ATTATTGAAG CATTTATCAG GGTTATTGTC TC -             #ATGAGCGG   3840                                                                  - - ATACATATTT GAATGTATTT AGAAAAATAA ACAAAAAGAG TTTGTAGAAA CG -             #CAAAAAGG   3900                                                                  - - CCATCCGTCA GGATGGCCTT CTGCTTAATT TGATGCCTGG CAGTTTATGG CG -             #GGCGTCCT   3960                                                                  - - GCCCGCCACC CTCCGGGCCG TTGCTTCGCA ACGTTCAAAT CCGCTCCCGG CG -             #GATTTGTC   4020                                                                  - - CTACTCAGGA GAGCGTTCAC CGACAAACAA CAGATAAAAC GAAAGGCCCA GT -             #CTTTCGAC   4080                                                                  - - TGAGCCTTTC GTTTTATTTG ATGCCTGGCA GTTCCCTACT CTCGCATGGG GA -             #GACCCCAC   4140                                                                  - - ACTACCATCG GCGCTACGGC GTTTCACTTC TGAGTTCGGC ATGGGGTCAG GT -             #GGGACCAC   4200                                                                  - - CGCGCTACTG CCGCCAGGCA AACTGTTTTA TCAGACCGCT TCTGCGTTCT GA -             #TTTAATCT   4260                                                                  - - GTATCAGGCT GAAAATCTTC TCTCATCCGC CAAAACAGCC AAGCTTGGCT GC -             #AGCCATGG   4320                                                                  - - TCTGTTTCCT GTGTGAAATT GTTATCCGCT CACAATTCCA CACATTATAC GA -             #GCCGGATG   4380                                                                  - - ATTAATTGTC AACAGCTCAT TTCAGAATAT TTGCCAGAAC CGTTTATATG TC -             #GGCGCAAA   4440                                                                  - - AAACATTATC CAGAACGGGA GTGCGCCTTG AGCGACACGA ATTATGCAGT GA -             #TTTACGAC   4500                                                                  - - CTGCACAGCC AATCCACAGC TTCCGATGGC TGCCTGACGC CAGAAGCATT GG -             #TGCACCGT   4560                                                                  - - GCAGTCGATG ATAAGCTGTC AAACATGAGA ATT       - #                  -       #       4593                                                                      - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:2:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 4476 base - #pairs                                                 (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: circular                                                - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Vector pS - #E380                                       - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:2:                                - - AATTCTCATG TTTGACAGCT TATCATCGAC TGCACGGTGC ACCAATGCTT CT -             #GGCGTCAG     60                                                                  - - GCAGCCATCG GAAGCTGTGG TATGGCTGTG CAGGTCGTAA ATCACTGCAT AA -             #TTCGTGTC    120                                                                  - - GCTCAAGGCG CACTCCCGTT CTGGATAATG TTTTTTGCGC CGACATCATA AC -             #GGTTCTGG    180                                                                  - - CAAATATTCT GAAATGAGCT GTTGACAATT AATCATCCGG CTCGTATAAT GT -             #GTGGAATT    240                                                                  - - GTGAGCGGAT AACAATTTCA CACAGGAAAC AGACCATGGC TGGTGACCAC GT -             #CGTGGAAT    300                                                                  - - GCCTTCGAAT TCAGCACCTG CACATGGGAC GTCGACCTGA GGTAATTATA AC -             #CCGGGCCC    360                                                                  - - TATATATGGA TCCAATTGCA ATGATCATCA TGACAGATCT GCGCGCGATC GA -             #TATCAGCG    420                                                                  - - CTTTAAATTT GCGCATGCTA GCTATAGTTC TAGAGGTACC GGTTGTTAAC GT -             #TAGCCGGC    480                                                                  - - TACGTATACT CCGGAATATT AATAGGCCTA GGATGCATAT GGCGGCCGCC TG -             #CAGCTGGC    540                                                                  - - GCCATCGATA CGCGTACGTC GCGACCGCGG ACATGTACAG AGCTCGAGAA GT -             #ACTAGTGG    600                                                                  - - CCACGTGGGC CGTGCACCTT AAGCTTGGCT GTTTTGGCGG ATGAGAGAAG AT -             #TTTCAGCC    660                                                                  - - TGATACAGAT TAAATCAGAA CGCAGAAGCG GTCTGATAAA ACAGAATTTG CC -             #TGGCGGCA    720                                                                  - - GTAGCGCGGT GGTCCCACCT GACCCCATGC CGAACTCAGA AGTGAAACGC CG -             #TAGCGCCG    780                                                                  - - ATGGTAGTGT GGGGTCTCCC CATGCGAGAG TAGGGAACTG CCAGGCATCA AA -             #TAAAACGA    840                                                                  - - AAGGCTCAGT CGAAAGACTG GGCCTTTCGT TTTATCTGTT GTTTGTCGGT GA -             #ACGCTCTC    900                                                                  - - CTGAGTAGGA CAAATCCGCC GGGAGCGGAT TTGAACGTTG CGAAGCAACG GC -             #CCGGAGGG    960                                                                  - - TGGCGGGCAG GACGCCCGCC ATAAACTGCC AGGCATCAAA TTAAGCAGAA GG -             #CCATCCTG   1020                                                                  - - ACGGATGGCC TTTTTGCGTT TCTACAAACT CTTTTTGTTT ATTTTTCTAA AT -             #ACATTCAA   1080                                                                  - - ATATGTATCC GCTCATGAGA CAATAACCCT GATAAATGCT TCAATAATAT TG -             #AAAAAGGA   1140                                                                  - - AGAGTATGAG TATTCAACAT TTCCGTGTCG CCCTTATTCC CTTTTTTGCG GC -             #ATTTTGCC   1200                                                                  - - TTCCTGTTTT TGCTCACCCA GAAACGCTGG TGAAAGTAAA AGATGCTGAA GA -             #TCAGTTGG   1260                                                                  - - GTGCACGAGT GGGTTACATC GAACTGGATC TCAACAGCGG TAAGATCCTT GA -             #GAGTTTTC   1320                                                                  - - GCCCCGAAGA ACGTTTTCCA ATGATGAGCA CTTTTAAAGT TCTGCTATGT GG -             #CGCGGTAT   1380                                                                  - - TATCCCGTGT TGACGCCGGG CAAGAGCAAC TCGGTCGCCG CATACACTAT TC -             #TCAGAATG   1440                                                                  - - ACTTGGTTGA GTACTCACCA GTCACAGAAA AGCATCTTAC GGATGGCATG AC -             #AGTAAGAG   1500                                                                  - - AATTATGCAG TGCTGCCATA ACCATGAGTG ATAACACTGC GGCCAACTTA CT -             #TCTGACAA   1560                                                                  - - CGATCGGAGG ACCGAAGGAG CTAACCGCTT TTTTGCACAA CATGGGGGAT CA -             #TGTAACTC   1620                                                                  - - GCCTTGATCG TTGGGAACCG GAGCTGAATG AAGCCATACC AAACGACGAG CG -             #TGACACCA   1680                                                                  - - CGATGCCTGT AGCAATGGCA ACAACGTTGC GCAAACTATT AACTGGCGAA CT -             #ACTTACTC   1740                                                                  - - TAGCTTCCCG GCAACAATTA ATAGACTGGA TGGAGGCGGA TAAAGTTGCA GG -             #ACCACTTC   1800                                                                  - - TGCGCTCGGC CCTTCCGGCT GGCTGGTTTA TTGCTGATAA ATCTGGAGCC GG -             #TGAGCGTG   1860                                                                  - - GGTCTCGCGG TATCATTGCA GCACTGGGGC CAGATGGTAA GCCCTCCCGT AT -             #CGTAGTTA   1920                                                                  - - TCTACACGAC GGGGAGTCAG GCAACTATGG ATGAACGAAA TAGACAGATC GC -             #TGAGATAG   1980                                                                  - - GTGCCTCACT GATTAAGCAT TGGTAACTGT CAGACCAAGT TTACTCATAT AT -             #ACTTTAGA   2040                                                                  - - TTGATTTAAA ACTTCATTTT TAATTTAAAA GGATCTAGGT GAAGATCCTT TT -             #TGATAATC   2100                                                                  - - TCATGACCAA AATCCCTTAA CGTGAGTTTT CGTTCCACTG AGCGTCAGAC CC -             #CGTAGAAA   2160                                                                  - - AGATCAAAGG ATCTTCTTGA GATCCTTTTT TTCTGCGCGT AATCTGCTGC TT -             #GCAAACAA   2220                                                                  - - AAAAACCACC GCTACCAGCG GTGGTTTGTT TGCCGGATCA AGAGCTACCA AC -             #TCTTTTTC   2280                                                                  - - CGAAGGTAAC TGGCTTCAGC AGAGCGCAGA TACCAAATAC TGTCCTTCTA GT -             #GTAGCCGT   2340                                                                  - - AGTTAGGCCA CCACTTCAAG AACTCTGTAG CACCGCCTAC ATACCTCGCT CT -             #GCTAATCC   2400                                                                  - - TGTTACCAGT GGCTGCTGCC AGTGGCGATA AGTCGTGTCT TACCGGGTTG GA -             #CTCAAGAC   2460                                                                  - - GATAGTTACC GGATAAGGCG CAGCGGTCGG GCTGAACGGG GGGTTCGTGC AC -             #ACAGCCCA   2520                                                                  - - GCTTGGAGCG AACGACCTAC ACCGAACTGA GATACCTACA GCGTGAGCTA TG -             #AGAAAGCG   2580                                                                  - - CCACGCTTCC CGAAGGGAGA AAGGCGGACA GGTATCCGGT AAGCGGCAGG GT -             #CGGAACAG   2640                                                                  - - GAGAGCGCAC GAGGGAGCTT CCAGGGGGAA ACGCCTGGTA TCTTTATAGT CC -             #TGTCGGGT   2700                                                                  - - TTCGCCACCT CTGACTTGAG CGTCGATTTT TGTGATGCTC GTCAGGGGGG CG -             #GAGCCTAT   2760                                                                  - - GGAAAAACGC CAGCAACGCG GCCTTTTTAC GGTTCCTGGC CTTTTGCTGG CC -             #TTTTGCTC   2820                                                                  - - ACATGTTCTT TCCTGCGTTA TCCCCTGATT CTGTGGATAA CCGTATTACC GC -             #CTTTGAGT   2880                                                                  - - GAGCTGATAC CGCTCGCCGC AGCCGAACGA CCGAGCGCAG CGAGTCAGTG AG -             #CGAGGAAG   2940                                                                  - - CGGAAGAGCG CCTGATGCGG TATTTTCTCC TTACGCATCT GTGCGGTATT TC -             #ACACCGCA   3000                                                                  - - TATGGTGCAC TCTCAGTACA ATCTGCTCTG ATGCCGCATA GTTAAGCCAG TA -             #TACACTCC   3060                                                                  - - GCTATCGCTA CGTGACTGGG TCATGGCTGC GCCCCGACAC CCGCCAACAC CC -             #GCTGACGC   3120                                                                  - - GCCCTGACGG GCTTGTCTGC TCCCGGCATC CGCTTACAGA CAAGCTGTGA CC -             #GTCTCCGG   3180                                                                  - - GAGCTGCATG TGTCAGAGGT TTTCACCGTC ATCACCGAAA CGCGCGAGGC AG -             #CAGATCAA   3240                                                                  - - TTCGCGCGCG AAGGCGAAGC GGCATGCATT TACGTTGACA CCATCGAATG GC -             #GCAAAACC   3300                                                                  - - TTTCGCGGTA TGGCATGATA GCGCCCGGAA GAGAGTCAAT TCAGGGTGGT GA -             #ATGTGAAA   3360                                                                  - - CCAGTAACGT TATACGATGT CGCAGAGTAT GCCGGTGTCT CTTATCAGAC CG -             #TTTCCCGC   3420                                                                  - - GTGGTGAACC AGGCCAGCCA CGTTTCTGCG AAAACGCGGG AAAAAGTGGA AG -             #CGGCGATG   3480                                                                  - - GCGGAGCTGA ATTACATTCC CAACCGCGTG GCACAACAAC TGGCGGGCAA AC -             #AGTCGTTG   3540                                                                  - - CTGATTGGCG TTGCCACCTC CAGTCTGGCC CTGCACGCGC CGTCGCAAAT TG -             #TCGCGGCG   3600                                                                  - - ATTAAATCTC GCGCCGATCA ACTGGGTGCC AGCGTGGTGG TGTCGATGGT AG -             #AACGAAGC   3660                                                                  - - GGCGTCGAAG CCTGTAAAGC GGCGGTGCAC AATCTTCTCG CGCAACGCGT CA -             #GTGGGCTG   3720                                                                  - - ATCATTAACT ATCCGCTGGA TGACCAGGAT GCCATTGCTG TGGAAGCTGC CT -             #GCACTAAT   3780                                                                  - - GTTCCGGCGT TATTTCTTGA TGTCTCTGAC CAGACACCCA TCAACAGTAT TA -             #TTTTCTCC   3840                                                                  - - CATGAAGACG GTACGCGACT GGGCGTGGAG CATCTGGTCG CATTGGGTCA CC -             #AGCAAATC   3900                                                                  - - GCGCTGTTAG CGGGCCCATT AAGTTCTGTC TCGGCGCGTC TGCGTCTGGC TG -             #GCTGGCAT   3960                                                                  - - AAATATCTCA CTCGCAATCA AATTCAGCCG ATAGCGGAAC GGGAAGGCGA CT -             #GGAGTGCC   4020                                                                  - - ATGTCCGGTT TTCAACAAAC CATGCAAATG CTGAATGAGG GCATCGTTCC CA -             #CTGCGATG   4080                                                                  - - CTGGTTGCCA ACGATCAGAT GGCGCTGGGC GCAATGCGCG CCATTACCGA GT -             #CCGGGCTG   4140                                                                  - - CGCGTTGGTG CGGATATCTC GGTAGTGGGA TACGACGATA CCGAAGACAG CT -             #CATGTTAT   4200                                                                  - - ATCCCGCCGT TAACCACCAT CAAACAGGAT TTTCGCCTGC TGGGGCAAAC CA -             #GCGTGGAC   4260                                                                  - - CGCTTGCTGC AACTCTCTCA GGGCCAGGCG GTGAAGGGCA ATCAGCTGTT GC -             #CCGTCTCA   4320                                                                  - - CTGGTGAAAA GAAAAACCAC CCTGGCGCCC AATACGCAAA CCGCCTCTCC CC -             #GCGCGTTG   4380                                                                  - - GCCGATTCAT TAATGCAGCT GGCACGACAG GTTTCCCGAC TGGAAAGCGG GC -             #AGTGAGCG   4440                                                                  - - CAACGCAATT AATGTGAGTT AGCGCGAATT GATCTT      - #                        - #     4476                                                                      - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:3:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 1337 base - #pairs                                                 (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Rat lens - #aldose reductase gene                       - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:3:                                - - CTCTTGCGGG TCGTTGTGCG TAACTTGCAG CAATCATGGC TAGCCATCTG GA -             #ACTCAACA     60                                                                  - - ACGGCACCAA GATGCCCACC CTGGGTCTGG GCACCTGGAA GTCTCCTCCT GG -             #CCAGGTGA    120                                                                  - - CCGAGGCTGT GAAGGTTGCT ATCGACATGG GGTATCGCCA CATTGACTGC GC -             #CCAGGTGT    180                                                                  - - ACCAGAATGA GAAGGAGGTG GGGGTGGCCC TCCAGGAGAA GCTCAAGGAG CA -             #GGTGGTGA    240                                                                  - - AGCGCCAGGA TCTCTTCATT GTCAGCAAGC TGTGGTGCAC GTTCCACGAC CA -             #GAGCATGG    300                                                                  - - TGAAAGGGGC CTGCCAGAAG ACGCTGAGCG ACCTGCAGCT GGACTACCTG GA -             #CCTCTACC    360                                                                  - - TTATTCACTG GCCAACTGGC TTCAAGCCTG GGCCTGACTA TTTCCCCCTG GA -             #TGCATCGG    420                                                                  - - GAAACGTGAT TCCTAGTGAC ACCGATTTTG TGGACACTTG GACGGCTATG GA -             #GCAACTAG    480                                                                  - - TGGATGAAGG TTTGGTAAAA GCAATCGGAG TCTCCAACTT CAACCCTCTT CA -             #GATTGAGA    540                                                                  - - GGATCTTGAA CAAACCTGGC TTAAAGTATA AGCCTGCTGT TAACCAGATC GA -             #GTGCCACC    600                                                                  - - CATACCTAAC TCAGGAGAAG CTGATTGAGT ACTGCCATTG CAAAGGCATC GT -             #GGTGACTG    660                                                                  - - CATACAGTCC CCTTGGTTCT CCTGACAGGC CCTGGGCCAA GCCTGAGGAC CC -             #CTCTCTCC    720                                                                  - - TGGAGGATCC CAGGATCAAG GAAATTGCAG CCAAGTACAA TAAAACTACA GC -             #CCAGGTGC    780                                                                  - - TGATCCGGTT CCCCATCCAA AGGAACCTGG TCGTGATCCC CAAGTCTGTG AC -             #ACCAGCAC    840                                                                  - - GTATTGCTGA GAACTTTAAG GTCTTTGACT TTGAGCTGAG CAATGAGGAC AT -             #GGCCACTC    900                                                                  - - TACTCAGCTA CAACAGGAAC TGGAGGGTGT GCGCCTTGAT GAGCTGTGCC AA -             #ACACAAGG    960                                                                  - - ATTACCCCTT CCACGCAGAA GTCTGAAGCT GTGGTGGACG AATCCTGCTC CT -             #CCCCAAGC   1020                                                                  - - GACTTAACAC ATGTTCTTTC TGCCTCATCT GCCCTTGCAA GTGTCCCTCT GC -             #ACTGGGTG   1080                                                                  - - GCACCTTGCA GACCAGATGG TGAGAGTTTG TTAGTTTGAC GTAGAATGTG GA -             #GGGCAGTA   1140                                                                  - - CCAGTAGCTG AGGAGTTTCT TCGGCCTTTC TTGGTCTTCT TCCCACCTGG AG -             #GACTTTAA   1200                                                                  - - CACGAGTACC TTTTCCAACC AAAGAGAAAG CAAGATTTAT AGCCCAAGTC AT -             #GCCACTAA   1260                                                                  - - CACTTAAATT TGAGTGCTTA GAACTCCAGT CCTATGGGGG TCAGACTTTT TG -             #CCTCAAAT   1320                                                                  - - AAAAACTGCT TTTGTCG             - #                  - #                       - # 1337                                                                   - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:4:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 316 amino - #acids                                                 (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein                                            - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Rat lens - #aldose reductase                            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:4:                                - - Met Ala Ser His Leu Glu Leu Asn Asn Gly Th - #r Lys Met Pro Thr Leu       1               5   - #                10  - #                15                - - Gly Leu Gly Thr Trp Lys Ser Pro Pro Gly Gl - #n Val Thr Glu Ala Val                   20      - #            25      - #            30                    - - Lys Val Ala Ile Asp Met Gly Tyr Arg His Il - #e Asp Cys Ala Gln Val               35          - #        40          - #        45                        - - Tyr Gln Asn Glu Lys Glu Val Gly Val Ala Le - #u Gln Glu Lys Leu Lys           50              - #    55              - #    60                            - - Glu Gln Val Val Lys Arg Gln Asp Leu Phe Il - #e Val Ser Lys Leu Trp       65                  - #70                  - #75                  - #80         - - Cys Thr Phe His Asp Gln Ser Met Val Lys Gl - #y Ala Cys Gln Lys Thr                       85  - #                90  - #                95                - - Leu Ser Asp Leu Gln Leu Asp Tyr Leu Asp Le - #u Tyr Leu Ile His Trp                   100      - #           105      - #           110                   - - Pro Thr Gly Phe Lys Pro Gly Pro Asp Tyr Ph - #e Pro Leu Asp Ala Ser               115          - #       120          - #       125                       - - Gly Asn Val Ile Pro Ser Asp Thr Asp Phe Va - #l Asp Thr Trp Thr Ala           130              - #   135              - #   140                           - - Met Glu Gln Leu Val Asp Glu Gly Leu Val Ly - #s Ala Ile Gly Val Ser       145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -       #60                                                                               - - Asn Phe Asn Pro Leu Gln Ile Glu Arg Ile Le - #u Asn Lys Pro Gly         Leu                                                                                              165  - #               170  - #               175              - - Lys Tyr Lys Pro Ala Val Asn Gln Ile Glu Cy - #s His Pro Tyr Leu Thr                   180      - #           185      - #           190                   - - Gln Glu Lys Leu Ile Glu Tyr Cys His Cys Ly - #s Gly Ile Val Val Thr               195          - #       200          - #       205                       - - Ala Tyr Ser Pro Leu Gly Ser Pro Asp Arg Pr - #o Trp Ala Lys Pro Glu           210              - #   215              - #   220                           - - Asp Pro Ser Leu Leu Glu Asp Pro Arg Ile Ly - #s Glu Ile Ala Ala Lys       225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -       #40                                                                               - - Tyr Asn Lys Thr Thr Ala Gln Val Leu Ile Ar - #g Phe Pro Ile Gln         Arg                                                                                              245  - #               250  - #               255              - - Asn Leu Val Val Ile Pro Lys Ser Val Thr Pr - #o Ala Arg Ile Ala Glu                   260      - #           265      - #           270                   - - Asn Phe Lys Val Phe Asp Phe Glu Leu Ser As - #n Glu Asp Met Ala Thr               275          - #       280          - #       285                       - - Leu Leu Ser Tyr Asn Arg Asn Trp Arg Val Cy - #s Ala Leu Met Ser Cys           290              - #   295              - #   300                           - - Ala Lys His Lys Asp Tyr Pro Phe His Ala Gl - #u Val                       305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                             - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:5:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 5181 base - #pairs                                                 (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: circular                                                - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Yeast shu - #ttle vector YEp352                         - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:5:                                - - ATGACCATGA TTACGAATTC GAGCTCGGTA CCCGGGGATC CTCTAGAGTC GA -              #CCTGCAGG     60                                                                  - - CATGCAAGCT TGGCACTGGC CGTCGTTTTA CAACGTCGTG ACTGGGAAAA CC -             #CTGGCGTT    120                                                                  - - ACCCAACTTA ATCGCCTTGC AGCACATCCC CCCTTCGCCA GCTGGCGTAA TA -             #GCGAAGAG    180                                                                  - - GCCCGCACCG ATCGCCCTTC CCAACAGTTG CGCAGCCTGA ATGGCGAATG GC -             #GCCTGATG    240                                                                  - - CGGTATTTTC TCCTTACGCA TCTGTGCGGT ATTTCACACC GCATAGGGTA AT -             #AACTGATA    300                                                                  - - TAATTAAATT GAAGCTCTAA TTTGTGAGTT TAGTATACAT GCATTTACTT AT -             #AATACAGT    360                                                                  - - TTTTTAGTTT TGCTGGCCGC ATCTTCTCAA ATATGCTTCC CAGCCTGCTT TT -             #CTGTAACG    420                                                                  - - TTCACCCTCT ACCTTAGCAT CCCTTCCCTT TGCAAATAGT CCTCTTCCAA CA -             #ATAATAAT    480                                                                  - - GTCAGATCCT GTAGAGACCA CATCATCCAC GGTTCTATAC TGTTGACCCA AT -             #GCGTCTCC    540                                                                  - - CTTGTCATCT AAACCCACAC CGGGTGTCAT AATCAACCAA TCGTAACCTT CA -             #TCTCTTCC    600                                                                  - - ACCCATGTCT CTTTGAGCAA TAAAGCCGAT AACAAAATCT TTGTCGCTCT TC -             #GCAATGTC    660                                                                  - - AACAGTACCC TTAGTATATT CTCCAGTAGA TAGGGAGCCC TTGCATGACA AT -             #TCTGCTAA    720                                                                  - - CATCAAAAGG CCTCTAGGTT CCTTTGTTAC TTCTTCTGCC GCCTGCTTCA AA -             #CCGCTAAC    780                                                                  - - AATACCTGGG CCCACCACAC CGTGTGCATT CGTAATGTCT GCCCATTCTG CT -             #ATTCTGTA    840                                                                  - - TACACCCGCA GAGTACTGCA ATTTGACTGT ATTACCAATG TCAGCAAATT TT -             #CTGTCTTC    900                                                                  - - GAAGAGTAAA AAATTGTACT TGGCGGATAA TGCCTTTAGC GGCTTAACTG TG -             #CCCTCCAT    960                                                                  - - GGAAAAATCA GTCAAGATAT CCACATGTGT TTTTAGTAAA CAAATTTTGG GA -             #CCTAATGC   1020                                                                  - - TTCAACTAAC TCCAGTAATT CCTTGGTGGT ACGAACATCC AATGAAGCAC AC -             #AAGTTTGT   1080                                                                  - - TTGCTTTTCG TGCATGATAT TAAATAGCTT GGCAGCAACA GGACTAGGAT GA -             #GTAGCAGC   1140                                                                  - - ACGTTCCTTA TATGTAGCTT TCGACATGAT TTATCTTCGT TTCGGTTTTT GT -             #TCTGTGCA   1200                                                                  - - GTTGGGTTAA GAATACTGGG CAATTTCATG TTTCTTCAAC ACTACATATG CG -             #TATATATA   1260                                                                  - - CCAATCTAAG TCTGTGCTCC TTCCTTCGTT CTTCCTTCTG TTCGGAGATT AC -             #CGAATCAA   1320                                                                  - - AAAAATTTCA AAGAAACCGA AATCAAAAAA AAGAATAAAA AAAAAATGAT GA -             #ATTGAAAA   1380                                                                  - - GCTCTTGTTA CCCATCATTG AATTTTGAAC ATCCGAACCT GGGAGTTTTC CC -             #TGAAACAG   1440                                                                  - - ATAGTATATT TGAACCTGTA TAATAATATA TAGTCTAGCG CTTTACGGAA GA -             #CAATGTAT   1500                                                                  - - GTATTTCGGT TCCTGGAGAA ACTATTGCAT CTATTGCATA GGTAATCTTG CA -             #CGTCGCAT   1560                                                                  - - CCCCGGTTCA TTTTCTGCGT TTCCATCTTG CACTTCAATA GCATATCTTT GT -             #TAACGAAG   1620                                                                  - - CATCTGTGCT TCATTTTGTA GAACAAAAAT GCAACGCGAG AGCGCTAATT TT -             #TCAAACAA   1680                                                                  - - AGAATCTGAG CTGCATTTTT ACAGAACAGA AATGCAACGC GAAAGCGCTA TT -             #TTACCAAC   1740                                                                  - - GAAGAATCTG TGCTTCATTT TTGTAAAACA AAAATGCAAC GCGAGAGCGC TA -             #ATTTTTCA   1800                                                                  - - AACAAAGAAT CTGAGCTGCA TTTTTACAGA ACAGAAATGC AACGCGAGAG CG -             #CTATTTTA   1860                                                                  - - CCAACAAAGA ATCTATACTT CTTTTTTGTT CTACAAAAAT GCATCCCGAG AG -             #CGCTATTT   1920                                                                  - - TTCTAACAAA GCATCTTAGA TTACTTTTTT TCTCCTTTGT GCGCTCTATA AT -             #GCAGTCTC   1980                                                                  - - TTGATAACTT TTTGCACTGT AGGTCCGTTA AGGTTAGAAG AAGGCTACTT TG -             #GTGTCTAT   2040                                                                  - - TTTCTCTTCC ATAAAAAAAG CCTGACTCCA CTTCCCGCGT TTACTGATTA CT -             #AGCGAAGC   2100                                                                  - - TGCGGGTGCA TTTTTTCAAG ATAAAGGCAT CCCCGATTAT ATTCTATACC GA -             #TGTGGATT   2160                                                                  - - GCGCATACTT TGTGAACAGA AAGTGATAGC GTTGATGATT CTTCATTGGT CA -             #GAAAATTA   2220                                                                  - - TGAACGGTTT CTTCTATTTT GTCTCTATAT ACTACGTATA GGAAATGTTT AC -             #ATTTTCGT   2280                                                                  - - ATTGTTTTCG ATTCACTCTA TGAATAGTTC TTACTACAAT TTTTTTGTCT AA -             #AGAGTAAT   2340                                                                  - - ACTAGAGATA AACATAAAAA ATGTAGAGGT CGAGTTTAGA TGCAAGTTCA AG -             #GAGCGAAA   2400                                                                  - - GGTGGATGGG TAGGTTATAT AGGGATATAG CACAGAGATA TATAGCAAAG AG -             #ATACTTTT   2460                                                                  - - GAGCAATGTT TGTGGAAGCG GTATTCGCAA TATTTTAGTA GCTCGTTACA GT -             #CCGGTGCG   2520                                                                  - - TTTTTGGTTT TTTGAAAGTG CGTCTTCAGA GCGCTTTTGG TTTTCAAAAG CG -             #CTCTGAAG   2580                                                                  - - TTCCTATACT TTCTAGCTAG AGAATAGGAA CTTCGGAATA GGAACTTCAA AG -             #CGTTTCCG   2640                                                                  - - AAAACGAGCG CTTCCGAAAA TGCAACGCGA GCTGCGCACA TACAGCTCAC TG -             #TTCACGTC   2700                                                                  - - GCACCTATAT CTGCGTGTTG CCTGTATATA TATATACATG AGAAGAACGG CA -             #TAGTGCGT   2760                                                                  - - GTTTATGCTT AAATGCGTTA TGGTGCACTC TCAGTACAAT CTGCTCTGAT GC -             #CGCATAGT   2820                                                                  - - TAAGCCAGCC CCGACACCCG CCAACACCCG CTGACGCGCC CTGACGGGCT TG -             #TCTGCTCC   2880                                                                  - - CGGCATCCGC TTACAGACAA GCTGTGACCG TCTCCGGGAG CTGCATGTGT CA -             #GAGGTTTT   2940                                                                  - - CACCGTCATC ACCGAAACGC GCGAGACGAA AGGGCCTCGT GATACGCCTA TT -             #TTTATAGG   3000                                                                  - - TTAATGTCAT GATAATAATG GTTTCTTAGA CGTCAGGTGG CACTTTTCGG GG -             #AAATGTGC   3060                                                                  - - GCGGAACCCC TATTTGTTTA TTTTTCTAAA TACATTCAAA TATGTATCCG CT -             #CATGAGAC   3120                                                                  - - AATAACCCTG ATAAATGCTT CAATAATATT GAAAAAGGAA GAGTATGAGT AT -             #TCAACATT   3180                                                                  - - TCCGTGTCGC CCTTATTCCC TTTTTTGCGG CATTTTGCCT TCCTGTTTTT GC -             #TCACCCAG   3240                                                                  - - AAACGCTGGT GAAAGTAAAA GATGCTGAAG ATCAGTTGGG TGCACGAGTG GG -             #TTACATCG   3300                                                                  - - AACTGGATCT CAACAGCGGT AAGATCCTTG AGAGTTTTCG CCCCGAAGAA CG -             #TTTTCCAA   3360                                                                  - - TGATGAGCAC TTTTAAAGTT CTGCTATGTG GCGCGGTATT ATCCCGTATT GA -             #CGCCGGGC   3420                                                                  - - AAGAGCAACT CGGTCGCCGC ATACACTATT CTCAGAATGA CTTGGTTGAG TA -             #CTCACCAG   3480                                                                  - - TCACAGAAAA GCATCTTACG GATGGCATGA CAGTAAGAGA ATTATGCAGT GC -             #TGCCATAA   3540                                                                  - - CCATGAGTGA TAACACTGCG GCCAACTTAC TTCTGACAAC GATCGGAGGA CC -             #GAAGGAGC   3600                                                                  - - TAACCGCTTT TTTGCACAAC ATGGGGGATC ATGTAACTCG CCTTGATCGT TG -             #GGAACCGG   3660                                                                  - - AGCTGAATGA AGCCATACCA AACGACGAGC GTGACACCAC GATGCCTGTA GC -             #AATGGCAA   3720                                                                  - - CAACGTTGCG CAAACTATTA ACTGGCGAAC TACTTACTCT AGCTTCCCGG CA -             #ACAATTAA   3780                                                                  - - TAGACTGGAT GGAGGCGGAT AAAGTTGCAG GACCACTTCT GCGCTCGGCC CT -             #TCCGGCTG   3840                                                                  - - GCTGGTTTAT TGCTGATAAA TCTGGAGCCG GTGAGCGTGG GTCTCGCGGT AT -             #CATTGCAG   3900                                                                  - - CACTGGGGCC AGATGGTAAG CCCTCCCGTA TCGTAGTTAT CTACACGACG GG -             #GAGTCAGG   3960                                                                  - - CAACTATGGA TGAACGAAAT AGACAGATCG CTGAGATAGG TGCCTCACTG AT -             #TAAGCATT   4020                                                                  - - GGTAACTGTC AGACCAAGTT TACTCATATA TACTTTAGAT TGATTTAAAA CT -             #TCATTTTT   4080                                                                  - - AATTTAAAAG GATCTAGGTG AAGATCCTTT TTGATAATCT CATGACCAAA AT -             #CCCTTAAC   4140                                                                  - - GTGAGTTTTC GTTCCACTGA GCGTCAGACC CCGTAGAAAA GATCAAAGGA TC -             #TTCTTGAG   4200                                                                  - - ATCCTTTTTT TCTGCGCGTA ATCTGCTGCT TGCAAACAAA AAAACCACCG CT -             #ACCAGCGG   4260                                                                  - - TGGTTTGTTT GCCGGATCAA GAGCTACCAA CTCTTTTTCC GAAGGTAACT GG -             #CTTCAGCA   4320                                                                  - - GAGCGCAGAT ACCAAATACT GTCCTTCTAG TGTAGCCGTA GTTAGGCCAC CA -             #CTTCAAGA   4380                                                                  - - ACTCTGTAGC ACCGCCTACA TACCTCGCTC TGCTAATCCT GTTACCAGTG GC -             #TGCTGCCA   4440                                                                  - - GTGGCGATAA GTCGTGTCTT ACCGGGTTGG ACTCAAGACG ATAGTTACCG GA -             #TAAGGCGC   4500                                                                  - - AGCGGTCGGG CTGAACGGGG GGTTCGTGCA CACAGCCCAG CTTGGAGCGA AC -             #GACCTACA   4560                                                                  - - CCGAACTGAG ATACCTACAG CGTGAGCATT GAGAAAGCGC CACGCTTCCC GA -             #AGGGAGAA   4620                                                                  - - AGGCGGACAG GTATCCGGTA AGCGGCAGGG TCGGAACAGG AGAGCGCACG AG -             #GGAGCTTC   4680                                                                  - - CAGGGGGAAA CGCCTGGTAT CTTTATAGTC CTGTCGGGTT TCGCCACCTC TG -             #ACTTGAGC   4740                                                                  - - GTCGATTTTT GTGATGCTCG TCAGGGGGGC GGAGCCTATG GAAAAACGCC AG -             #CAACGCGG   4800                                                                  - - CCTTTTTACG GTTCCTGGCC TTTTGCTGGC CTTTTGCTCA CATGTTCTTT CC -             #TGCGTTAT   4860                                                                  - - CCCCTGATTC TGTGGATAAC CGTATTACCG CCTTTGAGTG AGCTGATACC GC -             #TCGCCGCA   4920                                                                  - - GCCGAACGAC CGAGCGCAGC GAGTCAGTGA GCGAGGAAGC GGAAGAGCGC CC -             #AATACGCA   4980                                                                  - - AACCGCCTCT CCCCGCGCGT TGGCCGATTC ATTAATCCAG CTGGCACGAC AG -             #GTTTCCCG   5040                                                                  - - ACTGGAAAGC GGGCAGTGAG CGCAACGCAA TTAATGTGAG TTACCTCACT CA -             #TTAGGCAC   5100                                                                  - - CCCAGGCTTT ACACTTTATG CTTCCGGCTC GTATGTTGTG TGGAATTGTG AG -             #CGGATAAC   5160                                                                  - - AATTTCACAC AGGAAACAGC T           - #                  - #                     5181                                                                      - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:6:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 506 base - #pairs                                                  (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: E. coli - #methylglyoxal synthase gene                  - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:6:                                - - TAAGTGCTTA CAGTAATCTG TAGGAAAGTT AACTACGGAT GTACATTATG GA -              #ACTGACGA     60                                                                  - - CTCGCACTTT ACCTGCGCGG AAACATATTG CGCTGGTGGC ACACGATCAC TG -             #CAAACAAA    120                                                                  - - TGCTGATGAG CTGGGTGGAA CGGCATCAAC CGTTACTGGA ACAACACGTA CT -             #GTATGCAA    180                                                                  - - CAGGCACTAC CGGTAACTTA ATTTCCCGCG CGACCGGCAT GAACGTCAAC GC -             #GATGTTGA    240                                                                  - - GTGGCCCAAT GGGGGGTGAC CAGCAGGTTG GCGCATTGAT CTCAGAAGGG AA -             #AATTGATG    300                                                                  - - TATTGATTTT CTTCTGGGAT CCACTAAATG CCGTGCCGCA CGATCCTGAC GT -             #GAAAGCCT    360                                                                  - - TGCTGCGTCT GGCGACGGTA TGGAACATTC CGGTCGCCAC CAACGTGGCA AC -             #GGCAGACT    420                                                                  - - TCATAATCCA GTCGCCGCAT TTCAACGACG CGGTCGATAT TCTGATCCCC GA -             #TTATCAGC    480                                                                  - - GTTATCTCGC GGACCGTCTG AAGTAA          - #                  - #                  506                                                                      - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:7:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 3524 base - #pairs                                                 (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Pyridine - #nucleotide transhydrogenase gene            - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:7:                                - - CATAAAAATA ATCCTTCGCC TTGCGCAAAC CAGGTACTGG TATTGTTATT AA -              #CGAGAAAC     60                                                                  - - GTGGCTGATT ATTGCATTTA AACGGTGTAA CTGTCTGCGT CATTTTTCAT AT -             #CACATTCC    120                                                                  - - TTAAGCCAAT TTTAATCCTG CTCAAATGAC CGTCTATGCT TAAAAAACAG CC -             #GTATCAGC    180                                                                  - - ATCATTACTA CTGAAGCAAC TGAATTGTAT AAGTTAATTT AATGTTAAGT AG -             #TGATTCGT    240                                                                  - - GCCGGGGCGA TGTCTCGTTT TACCCGACCG TCGAAGACAA TTATCAGTCT TT -             #ATCCGGCG    300                                                                  - - TTCTAAGGTG TTTATCCCAC TATCACGGCT GAATCGTTAA TATTTTGCGA GT -             #TCACGCCG    360                                                                  - - AAATACTGAT TTTTGGCGCT AGATCACAGG CATAATTTTC AGTACGTTAT AG -             #GGCGTTTG    420                                                                  - - TTACTAATTT ATTTTAACGG AGTAACATTT AGCTCGTACA TGAGCAGCTT GT -             #GTGGCTCC    480                                                                  - - TGACACAGGC AAACCATCAT CAATAAAACC GATGGAAGGG AATATCATGC GA -             #ATTGGCAT    540                                                                  - - ACCAAGAGAA CGGTTAACCA ATGAAACCCG TGTTGCAGCA ACGCCAAAAA CA -             #GTGGAACA    600                                                                  - - GCTGCTGAAA CTGGGTTTTA CCGTCGCGGT AGAGAGCGGC GCGGGTCAAC TG -             #GCAAGTTT    660                                                                  - - TGACGATAAA GCGTTTGTGC AAGCGGGCGC TGAAATTGTA GAAGGGAATA GC -             #GTCTGGCA    720                                                                  - - GTCAGAGATC ATTCTGAAGG TCAATGCGCC GTTAGATGAT GAAATTGCGT TA -             #CTGAATCC    780                                                                  - - TGGGACAACG CTGGTGAGTT TTATCTGGCC TGCGCAGAAT CCGGAATTAA TG -             #CAAAAACT    840                                                                  - - TGCGGAACGT AACGTGACCG TGATGGCGAT GGACTCTGTG CCGCGTATCT CA -             #CGCGCACA    900                                                                  - - ATCGCTGGAC GCACTAAGCT CGATGGCGAA CATCGCCGGT TATCGCGCCA TT -             #GTTGAAGC    960                                                                  - - GGCACATGAA TTTGGGCGCT TCTTTACCGG GCAAATTACT GCGGCCGGGA AA -             #GTGCCACC   1020                                                                  - - GGCAAAAGTG ATGGTGATTG GTGCGGGTGT TGCAGGTCTG GCCGCCATTG GC -             #GCAGCAAA   1080                                                                  - - CAGTCTCGGC GCGATTGTGC GTGCATTCGA CACCCGCCCG GAAGTGAAAG AA -             #CAAGTTCA   1140                                                                  - - AAGTATGGGC GCGGAATTCC TCGAGCTGGA TTTTAAAGAG GAAGCTGGCA GC -             #GGCGATGG   1200                                                                  - - CTATGCCAAA GTGATGTCGG ACGCGTTCAT CAAAGCGGAA ATGGAACTCT TT -             #GCCGCCCA   1260                                                                  - - GGCAAAAGAG GTCGATATCA TTGTCACCAC CGCGCTTATT CCAGGCAAAC CA -             #GCGCCGAA   1320                                                                  - - GCTAATTACC CGTGAAATGG TTGACTCCAT GAAGGCGGGC AGTGTGATTG TC -             #GACCTGGC   1380                                                                  - - AGCCCAAAAC GGCGGCAACT GTGAATACAC CGTGCCGGGT GAAATCTTCA CT -             #ACGGAAAA   1440                                                                  - - TGGTGTCAAA GTGATTGGTT ATACCGATCT TCCGGGCCGT CTGCCGACGC AA -             #TCCTCACA   1500                                                                  - - GCTTTACGGC ACAAACCTCG TTAATCTGCT GAAACTGTTG TGCAAAGAGA AA -             #GACGGCAA   1560                                                                  - - TATCACTGTT GATTTTGATG ATGTGGTGAT TCGCGGCGTG ACCGTGATCC GT -             #GCGGGCGA   1620                                                                  - - AATTACCTGG CCGGCACCGC CGATTCAGGT ATCAGCTCAG CCGCAGGCGG CA -             #CAAAAAGC   1680                                                                  - - GGCACCGGAA GTGAAAACTG AGGAAAAATG TACCTGCTCA CCGTGGCGTA AA -             #TACGCGTT   1740                                                                  - - GATGGCGCTG GCAATCATTC TTTTTGGCTG GATGGCAAGC GTTGCGCCGA AA -             #GAATTCCT   1800                                                                  - - TGGGCACTTC ACCGTTTTCG CGCTGGCCTG CGTTGTCGGT TATTACGTGG TG -             #TGGAATGT   1860                                                                  - - ATCGCACGCG CTGCATACAC CGTTGATGTC GGTCACCAAC GCGATTTCAG GG -             #ATTATTGT   1920                                                                  - - TGTCGGAGCA CTGTTGCAGA TTGGCCAGGG CGGCTGGGTT AGCTTCCTTA GT -             #TTTATCGC   1980                                                                  - - GGTGCTTATA GCCAGCATTA ATATTTTCGG TGGCTTCACC GTGACTCAGC GC -             #ATGCTGAA   2040                                                                  - - AATGTTCCGC AAAAATTAAG GGGTAACATA TGTCTGGAGG ATTAGTTACA GC -             #TGCATACA   2100                                                                  - - TTGTTGCCGC GATCCTGTTT ATCTTCAGTC TGGCCGGTCT TTCGAAACAT GA -             #AACGTCTC   2160                                                                  - - GCCAGGGTAA CAACTTCGGT ATCGCCGGGA TGGCGATTGC GTTAATCGCA AC -             #CATTTTTG   2220                                                                  - - GACCGGATAC GGGTAATGTT GGCTGGATCT TGCTGGCGAT GGTCATTGGT GG -             #GGCAATTG   2280                                                                  - - GTATCCGTCT GGCGAAGAAA GTTGAAATGA CCGAAATGCC AGAACTGGTG GC -             #GATCCTGC   2340                                                                  - - ATAGCTTCGT GGGTCTGGCG GCAGTGCTGG TTGGCTTTAA CAGCTATCTG CA -             #TCATGACG   2400                                                                  - - CGGGAATGGC ACCGATTCTG GTCAATATTC ACCTGACGGA AGTGTTCCTC GG -             #TATCTTCA   2460                                                                  - - TCGGGGCGGT AACGTTCACG GGTTCGGTGG TGGCGTTCGG CAAACTGTGT GG -             #CAAGATTT   2520                                                                  - - CGTCTAAACC ATTGATGCTG CCAAACCGTC ACAAAATGAA CCTGGCGGCT CT -             #GGTCGTTT   2580                                                                  - - CCTTCCTGCT GCTGATTGTA TTTGTTCGCA CGGACAGCGT CGGCCTGCAA GT -             #GCTGGCAT   2640                                                                  - - TGCTGATAAT GACCGCAATT GCGCTGGTAT TCGGCTGGCA TTTAGTCGCC TC -             #CATCGGTG   2700                                                                  - - GTGCAGATAT GCCAGTGGTG GTGTCGATGC TGAACTCGTA CTCCGGCTGG GC -             #GGCTGCGG   2760                                                                  - - CTGCGGGCTT TATGCTCAGC AACGACCTGC TGATTGTGAC CGGTGCGCTG GT -             #CGGTTCTT   2820                                                                  - - CGGGGGCTAT CCTTTCTTAC ATTATGTGTA AGGCGATGAA CCGTTCCTTT AT -             #CAGCGTTA   2880                                                                  - - TTGCGGGTGG TTTCGGCACC GACGGCTCTT CTACTGGCGA TGATCAGGAA GT -             #GGGTGAGC   2940                                                                  - - ACCGCGAAAT CACCGCAGAA GAGACAGCGG AACTGCTGAA AAACTCCCAT TC -             #AGTGATCA   3000                                                                  - - TTACTCCGGG GTACGGCATG GCAGTCGCGC AGGCGCAATA TCCTGTCGCT GA -             #AATTACTG   3060                                                                  - - AGAAATTGCG CGCTCGTGGT ATTAATGTGC GTTTCGGTAT CCACCCGGTC GC -             #GGGGCGTT   3120                                                                  - - TGCCTGGACA TATGAACGTA TTGCTGGCTG AAGCAAAAGT ACCGTATGAC AT -             #CGTGCTGG   3180                                                                  - - AAATGGACGA GATCAATGAT GACTTTGCTG ATACCGATAC CGTACTGGTG AT -             #TGGTGCTA   3240                                                                  - - ACGATACGGT TAACCCGGCG GCGCAGGATG ATCCGAAGAG TCCGATTGCT GG -             #TATGCCTG   3300                                                                  - - TGCTGGAAGT GTGGAAAGCG CAGAACGTGA TTGTCTTTAA ACGTTCGATG AA -             #CACTGGCT   3360                                                                  - - ATGCTGGTGT GCAAAACCCG CTGTTCTTCA AGGAAAACAC CCACATGCTG TT -             #TGGTGACG   3420                                                                  - - CCAAAGCCAG CGTGGATGCA ATCCTGAAAG CTCTGTAACC CTCGACTCTG CT -             #GAGGCCGT   3480                                                                  - - CACTCTTTAT TGAGATCGCT TAACAGAACG GCGATGCGAC TCTA   - #                      352 - #4                                                                     - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:8:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 510 amino - #acids                                                 (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide                                            - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -      (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: N-terminal                                         - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Pyridine - #nucleotide transhydrogenase, subunit        - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:8:                                - - Met Arg Ile Gly Ile Pro Arg Glu Arg Leu Th - #r Asn Glu Thr Arg Val       1               5   - #                10  - #                15                - - Ala Ala Thr Pro Lys Thr Val Glu Gln Leu Le - #u Lys Leu Gly Phe Thr                   20      - #            25      - #            30                    - - Val Ala Val Glu Ser Gly Ala Gly Gln Leu Al - #a Ser Phe Asp Asp Lys               35          - #        40          - #        45                        - - Ala Phe Val Gln Ala Gly Ala Glu Ile Val Gl - #u Gly Asn Ser Val Trp           50              - #    55              - #    60                            - - Gln Ser Glu Ile Ile Leu Lys Val Asn Ala Pr - #o Leu Asp Asp Glu Ile       65                  - #70                  - #75                  - #80         - - Ala Leu Leu Asn Pro Gly Thr Thr Leu Val Se - #r Phe Ile Trp Pro Ala                       85  - #                90  - #                95                - - Gln Asn Pro Glu Leu Met Gln Lys Leu Ala Gl - #u Arg Asn Val Thr Val                   100      - #           105      - #           110                   - - Met Ala Met Asp Ser Val Pro Arg Ile Ser Ar - #g Ala Gln Ser Leu Asp               115          - #       120          - #       125                       - - Ala Leu Ser Ser Met Ala Asn Ile Ala Gly Ty - #r Arg Ala Ile Val Glu           130              - #   135              - #   140                           - - Ala Ala His Glu Phe Gly Arg Phe Phe Thr Gl - #y Gln Ile Thr Ala Ala       145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -       #60                                                                               - - Gly Lys Val Pro Pro Ala Lys Val Met Val Il - #e Gly Ala Gly Val         Ala                                                                                              165  - #               170  - #               175              - - Gly Leu Ala Ala Ile Gly Ala Ala Asn Ser Le - #u Gly Ala Ile Val Arg                   180      - #           185      - #           190                   - - Ala Phe Asp Thr Arg Pro Glu Val Lys Glu Gl - #n Val Gln Ser Met Gly               195          - #       200          - #       205                       - - Ala Glu Phe Leu Glu Leu Asp Phe Lys Glu Gl - #u Ala Gly Ser Gly Asp           210              - #   215              - #   220                           - - Gly Tyr Ala Lys Val Met Ser Asp Ala Phe Il - #e Lys Ala Glu Met Glu       225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -       #40                                                                               - - Leu Phe Ala Ala Gln Ala Lys Glu Val Asp Il - #e Ile Val Thr Thr         Ala                                                                                              245  - #               250  - #               255              - - Leu Ile Pro Gly Lys Pro Ala Pro Lys Leu Il - #e Thr Arg Glu Met Val                   260      - #           265      - #           270                   - - Asp Ser Met Lys Ala Gly Ser Val Ile Val As - #p Leu Ala Ala Gln Asn               275          - #       280          - #       285                       - - Gly Gly Asn Cys Glu Tyr Thr Val Pro Gly Gl - #u Ile Phe Thr Thr Glu           290              - #   295              - #   300                           - - Asn Gly Val Lys Val Ile Gly Tyr Thr Asp Le - #u Pro Gly Arg Leu Pro       305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -       #20                                                                               - - Thr Gln Ser Ser Gln Leu Tyr Gly Thr Asn Le - #u Val Asn Leu Leu         Lys                                                                                              325  - #               330  - #               335              - - Leu Leu Cys Lys Glu Lys Asp Gly Asn Ile Th - #r Val Asp Phe Asp Asp                   340      - #           345      - #           350                   - - Val Val Ile Arg Gly Val Thr Val Ile Arg Al - #a Gly Glu Ile Thr Trp               355          - #       360          - #       365                       - - Pro Ala Pro Pro Ile Gln Val Ser Ala Gln Pr - #o Gln Ala Ala Gln Lys           370              - #   375              - #   380                           - - Ala Ala Pro Glu Val Lys Thr Glu Glu Lys Cy - #s Thr Cys Ser Pro Trp       385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -       #00                                                                               - - Arg Lys Tyr Ala Leu Met Ala Leu Ala Ile Il - #e Leu Phe Gly Trp         Met                                                                                              405  - #               410  - #               415              - - Ala Ser Val Ala Pro Lys Glu Phe Leu Gly Hi - #s Phe Thr Val Phe Ala                   420      - #           425      - #           430                   - - Leu Ala Cys Val Val Gly Tyr Tyr Val Val Tr - #p Asn Val Ser His Ala               435          - #       440          - #       445                       - - Leu His Thr Pro Leu Met Ser Val Thr Asn Al - #a Ile Ser Gly Ile Ile           450              - #   455              - #   460                           - - Val Val Gly Ala Leu Leu Gln Ile Gly Gln Gl - #y Gly Trp Val Ser Phe       465                 4 - #70                 4 - #75                 4 -       #80                                                                               - - Leu Ser Phe Ile Ala Val Leu Ile Ala Ser Il - #e Asn Ile Phe Gly         Gly                                                                                              485  - #               490  - #               495              - - Phe Thr Val Thr Gln Arg Met Leu Lys Met Ph - #e Arg Lys Asn                           500      - #           505      - #           510                   - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:9:                                      - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 462 amino - #acids                                                 (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: peptide                                            - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -      (v) FRAGMENT TYPE: N-terminal                                         - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Pyridine - #nucleotide transhydrogenase, subunit      B                                                                                - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:9:                                - - Met Ser Gly Gly Leu Val Thr Ala Ala Tyr Il - #e Val Ala Ala Ile Leu       1               5   - #                10  - #                15                - - Phe Ile Phe Ser Leu Ala Gly Leu Ser Lys Hi - #s Glu Thr Ser Arg Gln                   20      - #            25      - #            30                    - - Gly Asn Asn Phe Gly Ile Ala Gly Met Ala Il - #e Ala Leu Ile Ala Thr               35          - #        40          - #        45                        - - Ile Phe Gly Pro Asp Thr Gly Asn Val Gly Tr - #p Ile Leu Leu Ala Met           50              - #    55              - #    60                            - - Val Ile Gly Gly Ala Ile Gly Ile Arg Leu Al - #a Lys Lys Val Glu Met       65                  - #70                  - #75                  - #80         - - Thr Glu Met Pro Glu Leu Val Ala Ile Leu Hi - #s Ser Phe Val Gly Leu                       85  - #                90  - #                95                - - Ala Ala Val Leu Val Gly Phe Asn Ser Tyr Le - #u His His Asp Ala Gly                   100      - #           105      - #           110                   - - Met Ala Pro Ile Leu Val Asn Ile His Leu Th - #r Glu Val Phe Leu Gly               115          - #       120          - #       125                       - - Ile Phe Ile Gly Ala Val Thr Phe Thr Gly Se - #r Val Val Ala Phe Gly           130              - #   135              - #   140                           - - Lys Leu Cys Gly Lys Ile Ser Ser Lys Pro Le - #u Met Leu Pro Asn Arg       145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -       #60                                                                               - - His Lys Met Asn Leu Ala Ala Leu Val Val Se - #r Phe Leu Leu Leu         Ile                                                                                              165  - #               170  - #               175              - - Val Phe Val Arg Thr Asp Ser Val Gly Leu Gl - #n Val Leu Ala Leu Leu                   180      - #           185      - #           190                   - - Ile Met Thr Ala Ile Ala Leu Val Phe Gly Tr - #p His Leu Val Ala Ser               195          - #       200          - #       205                       - - Ile Gly Gly Ala Asp Met Pro Val Val Val Se - #r Met Leu Asn Ser Tyr           210              - #   215              - #   220                           - - Ser Gly Trp Ala Ala Ala Ala Ala Gly Phe Me - #t Leu Ser Asn Asp Leu       225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -       #40                                                                               - - Leu Ile Val Thr Gly Ala Leu Val Gly Ser Se - #r Gly Ala Ile Leu         Ser                                                                                              245  - #               250  - #               255              - - Tyr Ile Met Cys Lys Ala Met Asn Arg Ser Ph - #e Ile Ser Val Ile Ala                   260      - #           265      - #           270                   - - Gly Gly Phe Gly Thr Asp Gly Ser Ser Thr Gl - #y Asp Asp Gln Glu Val               275          - #       280          - #       285                       - - Gly Glu His Arg Glu Ile Thr Ala Glu Glu Th - #r Ala Glu Leu Leu Lys           290              - #   295              - #   300                           - - Asn Ser His Ser Val Ile Ile Thr Pro Gly Ty - #r Gly Met Ala Val Ala       305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -       #20                                                                               - - Gln Ala Gln Tyr Pro Val Ala Glu Ile Thr Gl - #u Lys Leu Arg Ala         Arg                                                                                              325  - #               330  - #               335              - - Gly Ile Asn Val Arg Phe Gly Ile His Pro Va - #l Ala Gly Arg Leu Pro                   340      - #           345      - #           350                   - - Gly His Met Asn Val Leu Leu Ala Glu Ala Ly - #s Val Pro Tyr Asp Ile               355          - #       360          - #       365                       - - Val Leu Glu Met Asp Glu Ile Asn Asp Asp Ph - #e Ala Asp Thr Asp Thr           370              - #   375              - #   380                           - - Val Leu Val Ile Gly Ala Asn Asp Thr Val As - #n Pro Ala Ala Gln Asp       385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -       #00                                                                               - - Asp Pro Lys Ser Pro Ile Ala Gly Met Pro Va - #l Leu Glu Val Trp         Lys                                                                                              405  - #               410  - #               415              - - Ala Gln Asn Val Ile Val Phe Lys Arg Ser Me - #t Asn Thr Gly Tyr Ala                   420      - #           425      - #           430                   - - Gly Val Gln Asn Pro Leu Phe Phe Lys Glu As - #n Thr His Met Leu Phe               435          - #       440          - #       445                       - - Gly Asp Ala Lys Ala Ser Val Asp Ala Ile Le - #u Lys Ala Leu                   450              - #   455              - #   460                           - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:10:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 1139 base - #pairs                                                 (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                      - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: YES                                                   - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: Glycerol - #dehydrogenase gene                                   (B) STRAIN: E. coli                                                   - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:10:                               - - TACGGCGTAA ACCGTGATGA GTAGAGATTT CCTCGTTAAT ACCTGGCGTA AT -              #AAGTTAGT     60                                                                  - - GGCCCATTTA TGTAGGTCCC GCGACTACAC TAATTAGCAG ACCCGCTTAT GG -             #ACTTCGGC    120                                                                  - - GACTCTTGCG ACCAATCACC ACCCACTGTT TAAACAAAAT CCAAAACGAG TT -             #AGGTGACA    180                                                                  - - GCTCTTTTCG AAATTTCTAC GACCAGACCA TCATCTTTAA CGCGGCAAAC CG -             #CCACTTAC    240                                                                  - - AAGCGTTTTA CTCATGCTGG CAGACGCACC GTAGCGCCTC TGACGCGTCA CA -             #CCGCGTTA    300                                                                  - - AGAGCCATAG CCACCGCCTT TTTGGGAGCT ATGACGGTTT CGTGACCGTG TA -             #AAGTACCC    360                                                                  - - ACAAGGCCAT CGCTAGCGTG GCTGATAGCG GAGATGGCTA CGTGGCACGT CG -             #CGTAACAG    420                                                                  - - ACAATAGATG TGGCTACTCC CACTCAAACT GGCGATAGAC GACAACGGTT TA -             #TTGGGCTT    480                                                                  - - ATACCAGTAA CAGCTGTGGT TTTAGCAGCG ACCGCGTGGA CGTGCAGACA AT -             #CGCCGCCC    540                                                                  - - ATAGCCGCTA CGCGACCGTT GGACCAAACT TCGCGCACGG ACGAGAGCAT CG -             #CCGCGCTG    600                                                                  - - GTGGTACCGC CCGCCGTTCA CGTGGGTCCG ACGCGACCGT GACCGACTTG AC -             #ACGATGTT    660                                                                  - - GTGGGACGAC CTTCTTCCGC TTTTTCGCTA CGAACGACGG CTTGTCATGC AT -             #CACTGAGG    720                                                                  - - CCGCGACCTC GCGCACTAAC TTCGCTTGTG GATAAACTCG CCACAACCAA AA -             #CTTTCACC    780                                                                  - - ACCAGACGAC GCCGCGTGCG TCACGTATTG CCGGACTGGC GATAGGGCCT GC -             #GCGTAGTG    840                                                                  - - ATAATAGTGC CACTTTTTCA CCGTAAGCCA TGCGACTGCG TCGACCAAGA CC -             #TTTTACGC    900                                                                  - - GGCCACCTCC TTTAGCTTTG GCATCGACGG GAATCGGTAC GCCATCCAAA CG -             #TTATTGAG    960                                                                  - - AGCGAGTTGA CCTATAATTT CTTCTACAGG GCCCGTTTTA CGCTTAACAC CG -             #TCTTCGCC   1020                                                                  - - GTACACGTCT TCCACTTTGG TAAGTGTTGT ACGGACCGCC GCGCTGCGGT CT -             #AGTCCAAA   1080                                                                  - - TGCGGCGAGA CGACCATCGG CTGGTCATGC CAGTCGCAAA GGACGTTCTC AC -             #CCTTATT    1139                                                                  - -  - - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:11:                                     - -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                                  (A) LENGTH: 380 amino - #acids                                                 (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                  - -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein                                            - -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                  - -     (iv) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                    - -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                           (A) ORGANISM: E. coli - #glycerol dehydrogenase                       - -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:11:                               - - Met Pro His Leu Ala Leu Leu Ile Ser Lys Gl - #y Ala Ile Met Asp         Arg                                                                              1               5   - #                10  - #                15               - - Ile Ile Gln Ser Pro Gly Lys Tyr Ile Gln Gl - #y Ala Asp Val Ile Asn                   20      - #            25      - #            30                    - - Arg Leu Gly Glu Tyr Leu Lys Pro Leu Xaa Gl - #u Arg Trp Leu Val Val               35          - #        40          - #        45                        - - Gly Asp Lys Phe Val Leu Gly Phe Ala Gln Se - #r Thr Val Glu Lys Ser           50              - #    55              - #    60                            - - Phe Lys Asp Ala Gly Leu Val Val Glu Ile Al - #a Pro Phe Gly Gly Glu       65                  - #70                  - #75                  - #80         - - Cys Ser Gln Asn Glu Ile Asp Arg Leu Arg Gl - #y Ile Ala Glu Thr Ala                       85  - #                90  - #                95                - - Gln Cys Gly Ala Ile Leu Gly Ile Gly Gly Gl - #y Lys Thr Leu Asp Thr                   100      - #           105      - #           110                   - - Ala Lys Ala Leu Ala His Phe Met Gly Val Pr - #o Val Ala Ile Ala Pro               115          - #       120          - #       125                       - - Thr Ile Ala Ser Thr Asp Ala Pro Cys Ser Al - #a Leu Ser Val Ile Tyr           130              - #   135              - #   140                           - - Thr Asp Glu Gly Glu Phe Asp Arg Tyr Leu Le - #u Leu Pro Asn Asn Pro       145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -       #60                                                                               - - Asn Met Val Ile Val Asp Thr Lys Ile Val Al - #a Gly Ala Pro Ala         Arg                                                                                              165  - #               170  - #               175              - - Leu Leu Ala Ala Gly Ile Gly Asp Ala Leu Al - #a Thr Trp Phe Glu Ala                   180      - #           185      - #           190                   - - Arg Ala Cys Ser Arg Ser Gly Ala Thr Thr Me - #t Ala Gly Gly Lys Cys               195          - #       200          - #       205                       - - Thr Gln Ala Ala Leu Ala Leu Ala Glu Leu Cy - #s Tyr Asn Thr Leu Leu           210              - #   215              - #   220                           - - Glu Glu Gly Glu Lys Ala Met Leu Ala Ala Gl - #u Gln His Val Val Thr       225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -       #40                                                                               - - Pro Ala Leu Glu Arg Val Ile Glu Ala Asn Th - #r Tyr Leu Ser Gly         Val                                                                                              245  - #               250  - #               255              - - Gly Phe Glu Ser Gly Gly Leu Ala Ala Ala Hi - #s Ala Val His Asn Gly                   260      - #           265      - #           270                   - - Leu Thr Ala Ile Pro Asp Ala His His Tyr Ty - #r His Gly Glu Lys Val               275          - #       280          - #       285                       - - Ala Phe Gly Thr Leu Thr Gln Leu Val Leu Gl - #u Asn Ala Pro Val Glu           290              - #   295              - #   300                           - - Glu Ile Glu Thr Val Ala Ala Leu Ser His Al - #a Val Gly Leu Pro Ile       305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -       #20                                                                               - - Thr Leu Ala Gln Leu Asp Ile Lys Glu Asp Va - #l Pro Ala Lys Met         Arg                                                                                              325  - #               330  - #               335              - - Ile Val Ala Glu Ala Ala Cys Ala Glu Gly Gl - #u Thr Ile His Asn Met                   340      - #           345      - #           350                   - - Pro Gly Gly Ala Thr Pro Asp Gln Val Tyr Al - #a Ala Leu Leu Val Ala               355          - #       360          - #       365                       - - Asp Gln Tyr Gly Gln Arg Phe Leu Gln Glu Tr - #p Glu                           370              - #   375              - #   380                         __________________________________________________________________________

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Cameron, D. C. and C. L. Cooney (1986) Bio/Technology 4:651-654.

Ferguson, G. P., Chacko, A. D., Lee, C., Booth I. R. (1996) J. Bact. 178:3957-3961.

Franklin Associates, Ltd. (1994) "Life Cycle Assessment of Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol Based Antifreeze," Franklin Associates, Prairie Village, Kans.

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Gait, A. J. "Propylene Oxide," In: E. G. Hancock (ed.), Propylene and its Industrial Derivatives, p. 273-297, John Wiley and Sons, New York, N.Y. (1973).

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Percy, D. S. and Harrison, D. H. T. (1996) Cloning, Expression and Characterization of Methylgyoxal Synthase from Escherichia coli. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Meeting Abstract, Protein Structure Section, No. 1367, Jun. 2-6, 1996.

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Sato, S., Old, S., Carper, D., and Kador, P. F. (1995) Enzymology and Molecular Biology of Carbonyl Metabolism 5, p. 259-268, H. Weiner et al. (Eds.), Plenum Press, New York.

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What is claimed is:
 1. A method of producing 1,2-propanediol by fermentation of sugars comprising: culturing a recombinant microorganism which expresses recombinant enzyme activity selected from the group consisting of recombinant aldose reductase activity, recombinant glycerol dehydrogenase activity, recombinant methylglyoxal synthase activity, recombinant pyridine nucleotide transferase activity, and combinations thereof in a medium containing a sugar carbon source other than a 6-deoxyhexose sugar, wherein the recombinant microorganism is cultured aerobically, whereby the sugar carbon source is metabolized by the recombinant microorganism into 1,2-propanediol.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a recombinant E. coli is cultured.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein a recombinant microorganism transformed with a transformation vector containing a gene sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ. ID. NO: 3, SEQ. ID. NO: 6, SEQ ID. NO: 7, SEQ. ID. NO: 10, and combinations thereof, is cultured.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein a recombinant microorganism transformed with a transformation vector containing a gene sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ. ID. NO: 3, SEQ. ID. NO: 6, SEQ. ID. NO: 7, SEQ. ID. NO: 10, and combinations thereof, the gene sequence operationally linked to one or more promoter sequences whereby transcription of the gene sequence is controlled, is cultured.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the promoter sequence is selected from the group consisting of lac, trc, tac, and phoA.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein a microorganism lacking enzyme activity selected from the group consisting of triose phosphate isomerase activity, glyoxalase I activity, and combinations thereof, is cultured.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein E. coli is cultured.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein E. coli strain AA200 is cultured.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the recombinant microorganism is cultured in a medium containing a sugar carbon source selected from the group consisting of arabinose, fructose, galactose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, xylose, and combinations thereof.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of isolating the 1,2-propanediol formed. 